God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

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, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

08/18/2023 • 8:56 am Comments Off on Handouts and Charity

Handouts and Charity

Working in the NGO field in South Africa, one often meets a sort of demand for handouts and charity to attract people or fill programs with participants. Also, local politicians are tempted to have give-aways at hand – it seems to be the culture of work in the townships of South Africa.

The argument is frequently that people are too poor to pay – or that indeed as mentioned you don’t get people to come if there is nothing for free or to gain. And not even seldom, those invited to join programs ask for what goodies to expect when joining a program. Not to tell about competition within the NGO sector who is able to hand out more.

I get it – indeed, people are poor and times are tough. And yes, it is easier to attract people with food, gifts, and takeaways. But I doubt that this vouches for respect, dignity and development.

Free handouts make people dependent; handouts are charity and needed in absolute emergency situation to stabilize people and to giving them a perspective.

But to change the situation of people, and to foster a non-dependence relationship; to sustain a path to a better life, NGO’s need to walk with people in a giving / contributing relationship. And this does not always have to do with the exchange of lots of money. Small contributions chipped in. Offering talents and time as a contribution. The results:

The acknowledgement of self-worth and the value of what is being offered or jointly worked on. The feeling of being partners on eye-level and respectful towards each other. And the learning curve resulting from all of these aspects: more dignity, more self-respect and the knowledge: I can do it – we can do it together.

All this needs a shift in mindset in all sectors of engagement. It requires the courage to walk the talk of real development; a walk which can be rough and at times scary. But it is the only way to better the lives of people sustainably and to make everybody a real participant and less a dependent waiting for the next handout.

Filed under: Africa, General, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, Networking, Reflection, South Africa, , , , , , , , , ,

08/07/2023 • 9:09 am Comments Off on Sustainability and the ability to plan

Sustainability and the ability to plan

Promoting and deepening sustainability is certainly a priority after experiencing the lockdown during Covid-19 and now the ongoing war in Ukraine with all the consequences felt worldwide.
In the beginning of the lockdown we felt it: 42 staff members and their jobs, but also necessary programmes, were suddenly at risk.

Being not for gain or profit – it meant no support from government, but more expenses not budgeted for.

HOPE Cape Town has always been well managed and has taken care of every penny. This meant we came out of the crisis in pretty good shape. We had great support to provide children and families in Blikkiesdorp with food. But we also lost donors; companies ceased to exist, and many sponsors quite understandably wanted to wait and see before spending on charity or development.

The question remains:
How do we secure the future of our organisation in the long run? How do we guarantee the quality of the work and create reliability?
We have discussed this intensively in the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee of the South African HOPE Cape Town Trust. I would like to take you, the reader, with me on this journey in the coming posts and share thoughts and ideas with you.

Perhaps we can enter into a dialogue, and the blog is not a one-way street. I look forward to feedback, ideas, and dialogue. Your input is of great value for us as an organisation.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, HOPE Cape Town Trust, HOPE Cape Town USA, HOPE Gala Dresden, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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, , , , , , , , , ,

11/14/2022 • 11:37 am Comments Off on In between – NGOs in the times of war and pandemic

In between – NGOs in the times of war and pandemic

I guess nobody would argue against the statement, that NGOs are living through a difficult time. During the pandemic, those in the sector of health, nutrition and social support spend considerably more money than the agreed budgets provided. And those who had not put away some money for difficult times stood quickly at the brink of inability to pay due to overspending.

And no, neither in South Africa nor in Germany the state would consider support in the times of Covid – only companies, only economic entities were able to claim support from the state coffers. Looking at South Africa and seeing what NGO’s had achieved in supporting those left alone and in some instances still waiting for the state sponsored food support, it is clear: the situation would have been much dire without their work. In Germany, the food banks called “Tafeln” also were under strain because of the higher demand versus less support.

Generally, supporters and sponsors worldwide are more cautious in spending and granting support. Nobody really knows what is next and how to survive the possible next economic onslaught. It is understandable, but it hurts the ability of NGO’s to function.

Now the war in Ukraine rages on and as a result everything is getting more expensive while budgets, especially those fixed for some years via a grant, remain the same. Again: trouble is looming when not planned and forward-looking kept house.

The way forward? Not sure, but it is important to point out the in-between position of non-governmental organisations and their value for society and economy. Social interventions and economic development are going hand-in-hand. Development aid has always something to do with economical relationships. Both are important for the good and well-being of countries and societies.

Maybe after Covid and while the war is raging it is time to put those relationships but also the development agencies of countries on the test bench to have a sharper look what serves the purpose. The world is changing, and so the ways we do business – not only in the economical world.

Filed under: Africa, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

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