God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

07/12/2024 • 11:14 am Comments Off on NGO’s in the times of madness

NGO’s in the times of madness

Watching news in our days is not for the faint-hearted. Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan are reminding us every day on the brutality of life. The current storms in the Western Cape, the early hurricane season and the heat-waves are making it very clear that nature was not a top priority for human mankind – and that we have to catch up to survive. Politically the drama around the US election, the strengthening of right-wing and fascistoid political forces in Europe, only topped by the semi-religious authoritarian white macho cult around the man, who claims to make America great again questions the well-being of democratic systems. African countries continue to have their very own challenges.

It seems that after the pandemic and all the shutdowns with their often nonsensical rules have created a deep mistrust into politics and triggered the yearning for simple black and white solutions.

But not only that: it becomes more and more difficult to determine what is right and wrong. One could for example that the impression that bombing a school or a hospital has different moral implications depending on who fires them in a war. Looking at the reporting of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the ambivalence of reporting and making ethical judgements on the terror, people have to endure becomes visible. It becomes very confusing – even on a sub-conscience level – and this created another grounds for the liking of black/white solutions.

If you look at all the crisis – one of the consistencies you will see is the work of NGO’s. If there are real and legit, they don’t follow politics and public opinion, but they see the person as a human being, they see the victim of unrest, the victim of social disadvantage, the situation of helplessness – and they care, they walk with the people, they change the perception of people being causalities to being again a human being.

How much more suffering would we see if brave doctors and medical staff of non-governmental organisations would not dare to stay in Gaza, knowing that their life is on the line?
How much more suffering would we see if NGO’s in Europe would not organise assistance into Ukraine?

But we don’t have to go to extreme situations.

Looking at the HIV pandemic in South Africa around 2000 – what would it have looked without NGO’s at the forefront of assisting those living with HIV – even going to court to force government to stop the neglect they defended till it was legally not possible any more?

Looking at Covid, but also at the continuous challenge of poverty unemployment, GBV, refugees… You name it. It is the NGO sector and civil society keeping often situations from collapsing into chaos. It is the grounded work of small and big role-players in this sector doing so.

Looking again at the bigger picture, one can observe that especially authoritarian regimes like to prohibit NGOs, especially when they are receiving international funding. Russia and Egypt are two examples, you hear now also such suggestions even from a certain part of USA politics.

Obviously, NGO’s also have black sheep in their midst and not seldom, ideologists and fundamentalists as well as lobbyists create NGO’s to hide their intentions. Those attempts undermine the work of true NGO’s, and it seems to be difficult in our digital age and time to determine on first sight, which organisation is legit with no hidden agenda. Sometimes only time will tell.

But at the end, we all should realise the importance of the small and big, the local, national and international non-governmental organisations keeping the balance and contributing to our society in a way, people often not realise. They also remind us about our own humanity in the times of madness.

Filed under: Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , ,

12/15/2023 • 9:14 am Comments Off on Struggle of fundraising in our times…

Struggle of fundraising in our times…

Focusing on marketing and fundraising for the organisation HOPE Cape Town in South Africa, I had the pleasure – if it is a pleasure – to travel between three continents this year again, trying to find, reach and convince people in the USA, South Africa and European countries to support our holistic approach.

It is generally not an easy task, but the world is currently so much up-side-down, that the challenges seem to grow every day. It becomes a minefield, not only, because of money being diverted for current affairs but also as ideology, insecurity and anxiety are more than ever factors of life.

Gaza and Israel, it seems that you have to put every word on the golden scale to not offend but toe the line to stand on the right side – whatever that may be. Looking at the human factor without politics, as NGO’s do, is a difficult option as you’re directly under general suspicion of supporting terror.

The war in Ukraine means fundraising for people in a country, in which the leadership without any shame stands with the aggressor and pretends to be neutral.

South Africa’s grey listing and constant corruption on the highest levels are often points of debates with funders. They believe that South Africa has enough resources if and when the elite stops stealing money.

The USA is currently in an epic battle when it comes to democracy and a hotbed for the attempt to mix white superior religion, clearly visible in proclaiming a certain candidate a Godsend. Not to forget, a leader of the House who has direct conversations with God and is not the new Moses. In some states, history is rewritten and books are banned again. Not really an ideal environment to discuss support for people in South Africa.

Generally, Covid and the restrictions seem to have a profound effect on people, who felt that the security and safety their life was build on, was gone in seconds. It shows still today in actions, reactions and behaviour.

Business people in Germany, but generally in Europe, are more than worried about the current economic situation in the country and the direction, they are taken by those politically in charge.

All this impacts the world of fundraising a great deal, it makes it perfectly clear, that depending on donations alone is not sufficient for the long run. NGO’s like companies have to build up and maintain a reserve like any other companies if they want to survive long term and meaningfully.

It also makes it necessary to speak with people face to face – not FaceTime, not zoom or teams. Those can be interim measures to keep contact, but the person encounter is in times like ours the most essential part of fundraising.

The need to navigate between the world of possible funders and the reality of the recipients becomes more tricky as sensitivities and anxieties looking at the future reign high.

All this makes the work of NGOs like HOPE Cape Town even more important, because the victims of all the political, social and economic turbulence are those anyhow at the bottom of society. Those who lost out by birth are loosing again. NGOs are the lifeline to survive and even to grow under these circumstances.

We as NGOs need, besides the normal donation also people who want their support working for years to come. We need people investing in the future of others long-term, and so becoming role models for the next generation they helped to form and sustain.

Not only that, but we need this support to be able to stand firm in our support for human dignity and human rights declared for everybody. There are shifts of proportion happening now when it comes to demography, political influence, economic powers. NGOs are essential in those times, balancing what often is overlooked in daily struggles on the world stage. A reason more to support, sustain and to invest in the non-governmental sphere of society.

www.hopecapetown.org

Filed under: Africa, HOPE Cape Town Trust, HOPE Cape Town USA, HOPE Gala Dresden, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

01/16/2023 • 7:01 am Comments Off on Create HOPE in the World

Create HOPE in the World

Rotary International revealed last week the motto for the Rotary Year 2023/2024.
Reflecting on this motto at the beginning of the new calendar year, indeed hope is needed. Looking around into the world in January 2023 one could be frightened.

The constant attacks of Russia trying to bring a neighboring country down by sheer bombing terror towards infrastructure and non-military aims has shown no letting down on ferocity.

Brazil and the USA, followed by Hungary and now Israel continue to show how democracy can be eroded on a continuous base, and it seems that a major part of the respective population supports the move into more anarchy and oligarchy.

China’s COVID-19 politics has shown how dictatorial states irrationally govern and at the end are bringing more suffering to the people solely through nonsensical decisions filtering down from top to bottom without being questioned.

And in the country I live, the blackouts give witness to the ongoing incompetence and corruption of the nationally governing parties; failing their very own people in basic matters.

So yeah, hope is needed, and fascinating is, that Rotary does not want to give hope, but indeed create hope. This sounds like a very active approach, and an approach which is the only way to go against the wave of hopelessness and despair, people experiencing on a daily basis.

And this despair brings lots of people to turn towards populists and conspiracy theories. Being told that there is only “black and white” and one is given a clear path to walk is often perceived as the most easy way to escape the amount of challenges the world is facing.

Creating hope means now to actively go against populism and all the other woes of modern society. It means to be on the ground and to work with the people concerned by developing alternatives, by voicing reason publicly and by simple leading and living by example.

For me, as the chairperson of HOPE Cape Town Trust, the new motto is also an encouragement to do more in this regard. It seems to me one of the best wishes for 2023. Not only because it is so desperately needed. But also because I know that millions of Rotarians around the world can make a difference, joining forces with all the NGO’s and civil society institutions already hart at work.

We need a coalition of the willing, a term we know from the Iraq war, but now meant in a very positive way of goodwill and enthusiasm. We need people who put their ideologies aside and first and foremost see the person and his/her needs. And we need people who understand human rights, human dignity and the portion of freedom and self-determination to be afforded to everybody.

Looking at the challenges the world is facing, creating hope means a hands-on approach. It means practicality at work and a mixture of grass-roots approach and policies giving reason and direction.

With this motto Rotary has set a scene giving hope – now lets see how the creation of this hope looks like in real life. As a Rotarian myself I am thrilled to be part of this creation.

Filed under: General, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

08/14/2022 • 10:15 am Comments Off on Only those who live the Torah… observations from a sommer study

Only those who live the Torah… observations from a sommer study

Summer academy in Tabgha and Jerusalem – refresher course on bible history, Islam and Judaism and as always something new to learn.

To speak about Israel is a minefield, especially for a German. The Holocaust lingers constantly over all discussions, and the trauma somehow continues. To criticise Israel, whose politicians have cleverly conjoined the State of Israel and the Jewish faith, is consequently made difficult. How easy is it to be called an antisemite while criticising Israel’s politics towards the Palestinians.

The wilful ignorance towards the original plan to keep Jerusalem under UN administration has added to the woes. The trauma of the Holocaust has obviously also caused Israel to use massive force against Palestinians in a way which clearly hinders any political solution and kills also innocent bystanders. The violence on the part of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups does not help either. It is a poisonous circle of violence, madness pure and not leading to any solution.

Visiting a Jewish service in a synagogue to welcome the Sabbath is touching, observing the ritual joy of welcoming the day of rest. It is admirable to see how traditions are kept and hopes are lived while having endured so many changes in their history from the deportation to Babylonia, the destruction of their sacred temple via the murderous crusades till the Holocaust and all the Antisemitism growing again in our days.

Having Jewish lecturers for the topic of Judaism, it was interesting to be reminded, that ultra-orthodox Jews oppose the State of Israel. A man-made state is not acceptable because at the end only God can establish the new Israel.

Besides this, we learned that the promised land is from a religious point of view only for those who live the Torah – and looking at the modern Israel on a Sabbath shows that Israelis are not per se living according to their holy books.

Another observation is that obviously the stretch of land has a history before the promised land was occupied by Jewish clans – and there are historians indicating that the people led by Moses originally have been from the same background as the Canaanites they battled.

Living in South Africa, there comes the same thoughts: What a beautiful country, and how magnificent could it be if only the people living there would keep peace. My stay here has reminded me how intertwined the problems of trauma on both sites of the fence are. Judging becomes a difficult task, but there is something I believe in:

Jerusalem, the holy place for the three major monotheistic religions, should be an open city under the UN, belonging to nobody than human mankind – to be a witness for the peacefulness, all three religions somehow claim. It is a failure of the UN not to have followed the original plan; and it is a failure of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faithful not to create a location where love, hope, tolerance, goodwill and peace are liveable and touchable in this space and place.

Shalom, Salam and Peace

Filed under: General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , ,

11/24/2015 • 8:05 am Comments Off on Sick and tired of violence

Sick and tired of violence

Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Central African Republic, Ukraine, Yemen, Palestine and Israel – the news of violence, war and terror is a permanent feature on all news channels and I realize fatigue is setting in watching and zipping to all those channels with news seemingly to be for years the same.
Paris, Bamako – lock down in Brussels – and waiting for the next hit – around the world travel warning from the US and the discussions about sacrificing our freedoms fought for over long periods seems to head into a new direction of Orwell’s 1984 and even moreSouth Africa – #feesmustfall of the students means meanwhile arson, violence, destruction – almost hundred attempted murders per day in South Africa, from which are half successful. The taxi mafia continues to rule the streets and create havoc – service delivery protests can’t be without violence and damage anymore and whoever wants to take a drive on the national road N2 between Cape Town and Somerset West must be on the watch out – even police officers are not exempt falling victim of violence.
Coming back to the big world again – happy bombing from France – revenge for Paris, together with Russia and David Cameron can’t wait to extend his military reach in the Middle East – together with the continues and relentless extra-legal killings via drones – another permanent of this year’s news – especially when collateral damage means that unfortunately innocent people are killed too.
And as this would not be enough blood shed the state sponsored killings in the USA and Saudi-Arabia, but also not to forget in Indonesia and in other places seems to pick up again – another example that the capacity of governments and people to exercise respect for the sanctity of life degrades in the moment.

I must admit that I am in the moment sick and tired of all the violence on so many levels. Trying to get into the spirit of Advent as a Christian even worsens the situation as it becomes painfully clear how much we are away from the hope of Advent as the preparation of welcoming somebody in the world we see as the Prince of Peace and the messenger of unconditional love to all creation.
It seems that the new lonely caller in the wilderness we hear from in the bible changed his name from John the Baptist to Pope Francis amongst some other religious leaders . His travel this week to the war-thorn region of the Central African Republic with all the unknown and the danger would be a sign, that there might be other ways to answer violence and brutality than with weapons and violence.

But would that also be possible with ISIS or Daesh? Is there another way than throwing bombs?

I am convinced that bombings are not the answer, but that there are other strategies more promising to end this evil:
For example to acknowledge that there is a steady stream of unhappy Europeans following the call of ISIS and if we really want to root out such extremism we have to start in the suburbs of Paris, of Brussels, of Hamburg, of all the major cities in the USA. We have indeed to battle for the minds and the hearts of those feeling that they are not part of our society. Secondly let’s stop fulling the war in this region with selling weapons to “rebels” and other those, in the moment seemingly on the right side of history – in Afghanistan and Iraq history has thought us that the right side of history can quickly turn into the wrong one – ask the CIA which actually made Bin-Laden the person he became later on. Or Saddam Hussein, who was bolstered first to fight the revolution in Iran before falling out with the USA. Do we never learn out of mistakes?
Bombing, killing, extra-juridical killing by drones – it all creates an environment where people from ISIS will indeed flock together and new terrorists and suicide bombers are created on a daily base. The sad story of Israel and Palestine shows how the devils circle of violence never stops until somebody breaks it. And I am convinced to stop ISIS to gain more territory and cutting them off from the oil trade or trade of antiques will dry them out – cut them of the honor to connect them with  religion or Islam by getting the Umma to simply distance themselves – I am quite sure it will help to make this self-proclaimed caliphate a footnote of history in short time.

And let’s recognize and acknowledge that the wealth of Europe has its base in the exploitation of the African continent and the European colonies worldwide – and that they owe the people in Africa, in South America and where ever all the empires stretched for longer or shorter periods of time. Lots of country borders have been drawn on paper and without looking at situation. Lots of governments and dictators came into power because – at that time –   they either belonged to the anti-communist quarters or the other way around. We still haven’t worked it through – and we still are tempted to continue to make the same mistakes again and again. European governments judge not fairly but whatever suits best the Western World – they don’t have the focus on uplifting the people worldwide but what gives them more profit and fosters the lifestyle, Europe and North America wants to keep as long as possible. Let’s be honest: the conviction that we have to develop a new world order, a new way of dealing with each other is still in the infancy of the conscience of human civilization. We have conquered the technology but the rest lacks behind.

Advent – new beginning – may the feeling of being sick and tired of violence turn into a new approach of making the world a more peaceful place on all levels of life – a life to be called to live to the fullest.

Filed under: Africa, General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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