God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

03/26/2011 • 10:19 pm Comments Off on POZ Magazine: HIV Drug Development Stalls

POZ Magazine: HIV Drug Development Stalls

Companies that develop HIV drugs are at a standstill in bringing new medicines to market, Bloomberg reports. Of the 31 HIV meds on the market, only six were approved after 2004; Intelence was the last drug approved—and that was three years ago. The newest antiretrovirals are much safer and more effective, have fewer side effects and must be taken less frequently. As a result, the bar for bringing new drugs to market has gotten higher and fewer drugs are in the pipeline. This also means that HIV-positive people who develop drug resistance have fewer treatment options.

Source:  Poz Magazine

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Treatment, Medical and Research, , , ,

03/06/2011 • 9:59 pm Comments Off on Sunday evening blues..

Sunday evening blues..

Sunday eve in Fallersleben – and a long travel week draws to a close while another is just beginning. The last three days were intense: the last meeting of the team trying to move the world, not only alone and in 100 days but with many more supporters and with a move, which will be felt for years to come. At the same time, while I am sitting here close to Wolfsburg and trying to get my mind around safety tips for the trip, fundraising concepts and much more, at home in Cape Town we are busy to shortlist the applications for the directors post. The ability to bi-locate, to be at two different places at the same time remains wishful thinking, but would be necessary on such days. Not to forget that the administration of the “Bundesgartenschau” in Koblenz wishes urgently to have the plan for October, when we will have “our day” of AIDS awareness and prevention within the framework of the show. A whole day, the podium is ours and together with the AIDS-Hilfe Koblenz we have to fill the space months in advance.Even being at two places at the same time seems not enough.. 🙂

But moving the world requires multi-tasking – but also requires the support and the network of each and everybody. In the times of the internet this may mean to visit websites:

www.waae.de
www.hopecapetown.com
www. hopegala.de

are three of those close to my heart on this Sunday eve. Where ever you are, reading this, you can be part of a big movement, you can contribute whatever you can – in ideas, in time, in donation, in the one Euro, which we need from 5 000 000 people to make our move becomes a reality. It does not matter where you live – in Germany, in South Africa or somewhere else along the way of our expedition or far away: you have a constant invitation to join in and to spread the message of hope and future and even to be a piece of this hope for others.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

03/04/2011 • 11:44 pm Comments Off on Move the world

Move the world

Move the world – in 100 days around the world

Joachim Franz launches his to date biggest “aids awareness expedition”

Under the leadership of AIDS activist Joachim Franz, mid April a convoy of 5 pick-ups will start their tour around the world. It is an adventure which might be a first of its kind.  12 men and women will conquer the world with the special mission: to move the world and to keep on challenging the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Then still 30 years into the pandemic, the figures are frightening: 33 Million people worldwide are carrying the virus; in 2009 1.8 Million people have been dying as a consequence of their HIV infection.

W = World

Vancouver in Canada will be the starting point of the expedition. From their, Joachim Franz and his team will follow a route around the world, which resembles a big “W” on the world map. North, Middle and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia are part of the 65 000 km route, ending in Australia with an imaginary point behind the “W”. Covering all continents also mean to connect the rich and the poor countries of this world: the rich ones, where HIV means to live with a chronic disease and the poor ones, where HIV means still in most instances death for many reasons.

Donation concept

Supported by the German Foreign Minister, Dr. Guido Westerwelle as patron of the expedition, the challenge is partnered by UNAIDS, the German AIDS Foundation, the German Embassies in the respective countries and other important representatives from the cultural and economic sector. In 50 countries, the participants of the expedition will meet with local and national representatives of the respective countries to understand the HIV/AIDS situation of the country, but also to challenge each and everybody to be part of the fight against HIV and AIDS. People who want to join the cause are asked to donate 1 Euro each – and in doing so supporting the creation of training facilities on all continents to intensify and optimize the work in the fields of HIV and AIDS.

Hardness test for men and material

The extensive route around the world passes different climate zones and unpredictable weather conditions. The vehicles must survive a tough ride over asphalt, pothole roads, gravel, sand and slick. But Joachim Franz and his team are well prepared: Five VW Amarok, fitted with the most modern navigation technology and each equipped with a 163-PS-TDI motor as well as double turbocharging and Commonrail open consumption direct injection, shiftable four wheel drive, rear suspension lock, terrain reduction and underride protection will take the challenge.  Under their hardtops all material is stored: water, equipment and all possible spare parts.

The double cabins will be the working, living and dining room of the team, and if there is resting time, mounted roof tents will provide some shelter. All team members are volunteers and they are coming from all walks of life: Company employees, student, worker, technician, pilot, Catholic priest, paramedic, pilot, entrepreneurs complimented by a team from the media to report on the progress in word and picture. This expedition will be a test of durability for men and vehicle and – due to the fact, that round tables and flights are fixed by day and time – a race against time. Who knows Joachim Franz will recognise this mixture of sportive challenge and HIV/AIDS awareness. Since already 10 years he mixes sports and adventure to make people aware of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the consequent suffering of those affected and infected. Donation money collected in the last expeditions support projects around the world, amongst others projects in South Africa, Asia and South America.

From toolmaker to the European of the year

Joachim Franz discovered his vocation while doing extreme sports – and always he encountered the plights of HIV and AIDS, be it in the townships of South Africa or the hospices in Manila or the homes for former prostitutes in Nepal. He invented the “aids awareness expedition” as his trademark to combat the HIV and AIDS pandemic. In the last 10 years he mountain biked the Sahara, he ran Marathon in South Africa, took on the Pan Americana by bike, conquered the 20 highest mountains between the north cape and Cape Town and added several extreme accomplishments involving the Pik Pobedy (7349 m) close to China or the Aconcagua (6959 m) in the Andes. For his dedication he was elected “European of the year” (Readers Digest Europe) in 2009, he was awarded the “Prix Romantik Liebold” of the Romantik Hotel Association and in 2010, he was the laureate of the HOPE Award in Dresden. “Move the world marks now the culmination of this idea: to move the world with a team of like-minded people through audacity, endurance and power – a way hardly tried by anybody else in this combination.

The globe is rolling through Europe

Besides the expedition a fundraising effort is launched in Europe with inflatable globes: A second team will travel through Europe and invite everybody to support the expedition – in pedestrian zones, schools, companies. Latter can order such big or small globes to do their own projects in support of the “move the world” expedition. People are invited to send in photos with themselves and the globe and showing so their solidarity with the expedition.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, , , , ,

02/20/2011 • 6:26 pm 2

First get rid of the relics

Some 144 German Catholic theologians, along with a handful of colleagues from Austria and Switzerland, recently issued a public declaration calling for reforms on matters such as celibacy, women priests and homosexuality. The list of signatories represents roughly one-third of Germany’s professors of Catholic theology. The letter also touches upon lay participation, styles of leadership, the liturgy, and the legal culture of the church. While most bishops and remarkably the secretary of the German Bishops Conference welcomed in principle a debate about burning issues of the church, the chair of the German Bishops Conference, Archbishop Zollitsch set a different tone today writing an article for “Die Welt”.

He questioned the public declaration by saying, that even having benevolence for the authors of the declaration, nobody would think seriously that the list of reforms would lead to a new flourishing church and faith in our days.  For him, the question rather is how to keep alive in our society the question for God and a convincing Christian answer.

I understood the declaration differently and I never assumed that anybody will think that with the requested reforms the church will directly be beamed into a new spring with people flocking to become active Catholics again. But something else would happen: Getting rid of the relics which borders us since ages could free our thinking and acting to follow the question of God and faith in our world. All these topics we discuss in our church since the last century – and it was widely reported that even Benedict XVI in his earlier time signed a declaration lamenting the situation of the church and calling for a rethink of celibacy.

HIV & AIDS are practical examples. We hardly have time to think of new strategies how to approach people in this regard and to change the habits of people because every discussion with the secular world ends that we have to defend the stance on condoms and sexuality. Additional for all those who want to have a career in the church, there is the constant anxiety to keep the official line. This stance has given away lots of credibility – we are simply not relevant anymore in these questions. Reconciling us with modern sciences in these fields and getting rid of the relics would free us to be able to think constructive and to deal honesty with the people concerned. It would enable us to give the answers of the questions of today and space for new considerations and a development of theology and spirituality.

So to answer the question of the article:  how to keep alive in our society the question for God and a convincing Christian answer is to free ourselves from stances which are not essential for the church and to allow then a real debate to answer from a Christian point of view the questions really asked by modern society and its people.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, Reflection, , , , , , , ,

02/16/2011 • 9:18 am Comments Off on Invitation to the prestigious Ball of HOPE 28.05.2011

Invitation to the prestigious Ball of HOPE 28.05.2011

Join us once again for this prestigious event and play a significant role in the lives of many needy children and their families in the Western Cape.

The Ball of HOPE 2011

Saturday, 28th May 2011 at 18h30 for 19h00
at the Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays
Dress Code: Black Tie

Ball of HOPE invitation 2011

Ball of Hope BOOKING FORM

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Blog Categories

Follow God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE on WordPress.com

You can share this blog in many ways..

Bookmark and Share

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,711 other subscribers

Translation – Deutsch? Française? Espanol? …

The translation button is located on each single blog page, Copy the text, click the button and paste it for instant translation:
Website Translation Widget

or for the translation of the front page:

* Click for Translation

Copyright

© Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rev Fr Stefan Hippler and HIV, AIDS and HOPE with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

This not withstanding the following applies:
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.