God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

09/30/2013 • 2:29 pm Comments Off on Interviews

Interviews

HOPE Cape Town has advertised two positions, one of a secretary and one of a resource developer. Tomorrow will be the first round of interviews for those making it to the shortlist. Interviews are not only exciting for those seeking employment or a change of position but also for the prospective employer. It is difficult to pick the right person: Qualification can be measured, but the potential of a candidate and the willingness to fit into an existing team and to add value to it is more difficult to evaluate. Candidates are trying to show their best performance and sometimes I wish to see them performing the worst at such an interview – it would make it easier for me to see the span of performance. 🙂

I am sometimes also amazed about the discrepancy between what a CV promises and what a candidate delivers. An interview showing strength and weakness in an honest way could give a hint about development potential. I am convinced that most jobs are to be conquered by anybody who has an open mind and an open heart and a solid ground of knowledge in the field of expertise. People must like what they doing, they must love to identify themselves with the work they are doing. They should be proud to be part of the company.  Starting a job does not mean to be perfect, but the first day in a new job is the beginning of an exciting development for both, the person and the company or NGO.

And so I hope that this will happen: That we find the right candidate whose work will do HOPE Cape Town proud and HOPE Cape Town does him proud. 31 colleagues are waiting to welcome the lucky one and specially our back office, serving the HOPE Cape Town Trust and the HOPE Cape Town Association will be able to go full speed and deliver on all levels.

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08/22/2013 • 9:15 am Comments Off on HOPE Cape Town is developing…

HOPE Cape Town is developing…

Tomorrow is the Annual General Meeting of the HOPE Cape Town Association, the working arm of HOPE Cape Town which consists of two arms: aforesaid HOPE Cape Town Association which is combining all the project work on the ground and HOPE Cape Town Trust, which is leading in fundraising and marketing of the work done. Together with the German AIDS Foundation, the HOPE Cape Town Trust has a common “child”, called HOPE Kapstadt Stiftung, a dependent trust governed by German law.  To complete the picture the HOPE Cape Town family has also very close relatives:  the Kuratorium Deutschland, which relates to the HOPE Cape Town Trust and is looking together with Viola Klein to support the HOPE Gala Dresden (26.10.2013). The Freundeskreis HOPE Cape Town Trust Olching e.V. is another German and Bavarian support group of the HOPE Cape Town Trust. Not to forget HOPE & Future e.V. in Münster (Germany), which is an essential part of our supporting family. And we HOPE to give birth in the near future also to an US American entity relating to HOPE Cape Town.  And locally our brainchild is also the Ball of HOPE together with the Southern-African – German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, next year taking place on the 11th of May 2014.

There is the idea of spreading the word about the “friends of HOPE Cape Town” and if you think, you can get some people together forming a small group supporting the goals of HOPE Cape Town, then feel free to contact me for further information. HOPE Cape Town depends like any other public benefit organization on the support of many – so HOPE Cape Town understands itself as much more than a local organization – we are a network of people trying to better the lives of South African’s living with HIV and TB and everything related to it.
Sometimes I am asked why TB and why we not concentrate on HIV? The answer is very simple: TB is the twin-sister of HIV in South Africa and to combat only HIV would not making sense. They are interlinked, and so are the other social problems attached to it. Studies have shown that poverty, unemployment and unfavorable conditions lead to early death even if treatment is available. So there is so much more to HIV and AIDS. And there is so much more to do – whatever we can do as HOPE Cape Town depends on resources, manpower and funds. We have grown to 31 employees and our portfolios range from the vegetable garden in Blikkisdorp to academic research @ the University of Stellenbosch. It will depend on the ongoing and additional support of people like you, the reader of this blog, whether we can enhance our work and do more to give people hope and future.  We are willing to go the extra – mile; come and join us in one of the many ways possible:

* Donation: All our donation options are summarized on our website under donation

* Tell friends about HOPE Cape Town and ask them to have a look at our website

* Maybe you consider to donate to capital (Zustiftung in German language) and make you money work for a good cause for eternity…
* Find a circle of friends to become ambassadors of HOPE – we can assist you in this…

* Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Cause, share the links and stories and follow us

For all donations and donations to capital applies in Germany and South Africa: We are able to issue a tax-deductible receipt for the respective county.

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Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, HOPE Gala Dresden, Medical and Research, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, SA-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/06/2013 • 7:32 am Comments Off on Myth or reality?

Myth or reality?

The Consultation

The Consultation (Photo credit: bigbluemeanie)

We all have heard it many times: 80% of black South Africans consult a sangoma before they even consider going to a Western Clinic. I always wondered about it, having worked with sangomas and being involved with the work HOPE Cape Town has done and is still doing in parts with traditional leaders. What I have seen is little work for sangomas, lots of part-time traditional healers and a break down in related traditions in the townships of Cape Town. Well, a 2012 article in the South African Medical Journal went further, suggesting that “some 80% of South Africans use traditional medicine to meet their primary healthcare needs”. The claim has also been made in general terms about the population of Southern Africa and the African continent. So where did the claim originate and is there any truth to it?  GroundUp, a South African community journalism project, asked Africa Check to investigate. Their starting point was the World Health Organisation (WHO). A fact sheet on traditional medicine published by the body in 2008 is often cited when the claim is made. “In some Asian and African countries,” it states, “80% of the population depend on traditional medicine for primary health care.” The fact sheet does not include any evidence to substantiate the statement, but one can find a reference to a document discussing the WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005. And this was not the end of the research – to read more about Africa Check’s research and its amazing result follow this link.

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07/23/2013 • 9:13 am Comments Off on HOPE Gala 2013

HOPE Gala 2013

Yes, time is flying and the HOPE Gala in Dresden is fast approaching. On Saturday, 26th of October 2013 the 8th HOPE Gala takes place again and Viola Klein as well as the PAR X Team under the umbrella of the HOPE Kapstadt Stiftung, the twin of the HOPE Cape Town Trust in Germany administrated together with the German AIDS Foundation are in full swing again. Not to forget Saxonia Systems, the company in Dresden which is headed by Viola Klein and Andreas Moench, who initiated the Gala and is since then a great supporter of HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust.
It’s a great opportunity to visit the city of Dresden and to see for yourself how beautiful and magnificent the city has developed its old heritage. So it is not only for German-speaking people but also for those from South Africa or elsewhere in the world, who always wanted to experience Germany as it’s best.

More info for the German-speaking people under http://www.hopegala.de. For those more fluent in English please contact Kerstin Behlau (admin@hopecapetown.com). And yes, we also have a travel agent giving advice how to get the best and cost saving flights to Dresden at that time of the year.

HOPE Gala Dresden 2013

HOPE Gala Dresden 2013

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Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Trust, HOPE Gala Dresden, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

06/18/2013 • 10:21 am Comments Off on Another mission…

Another mission…

European Union Headquarters - Brussels, Belgium

European Union Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium (Photo credit: Sailing “Footprints: Real to Reel” (Ronn ashore))

After one week in Cape Town sitting in a plane again, this time to Brussels in Belgium. I was offered the opportunity to meet those relevant people in the EU (European Union) dealing with African and South African affairs. It will be a big challenge for me to understand and digest in a couple of days the mechanism of EU-African relationship. But as HOPE Cape Town is a joint venture between European and African people, I strongly believe to see the bigger picture is an important step to understand the synergies behind single projects. And the question of funding is for me in the moment only second best – it is really first to make my homework and understand the principles of political and economic ties and so have a background image for further investigation into EU funding for Africa. I feel like a student again 🙂 and I am very grateful for the organizers to give me this opportunity.

Generally I believe in networking and sharing to reach the goal of ongoing support for those in need – in the case of HOPE Cape Town the need to deal with HIV and AIDS in their mainly anyhow devastated lives of poverty, unemployment, little education and almost no light at the end of the tunnel. South Africa is going through a challenging time with Madiba, the moral conscience of South Africa in his last chapter of life and politicians in place who seem to have subscribed to corruption and attending to everything gaining them wealth but ignoring mostly the plight of the people. That might be a harsh judgement but I strongly believe that South Africa deserves better. Maybe the looming farewell from Nelson Mandela will serve as a reminder about the dreams and hopes after 1994 and ignite the longing and yearning to reach this dream of a real rainbow nation where poverty, corruption, crime, unemployment is seriously tackled by people in power who care deeply about the future of all South Africans.

HOPE Cape Town is working only in one little sector of health within all the areas of human life. But as it needs all mosaic pieces to create the final picture, the organization is willing to contribute whatever is necessary to make the vision of a prosper and thriving South Africa possible. One drop in the big ocean – right so – but let’s join all drops to accumulate into a stream taking us forward.

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Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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