Rev. Fr. Stefan Hippler

Rev Fr Stefan Hippler has worked since 2001 in Cape Town, South Africa, sent by the German Catholic Bishops Conference to serve as chaplain to the local German-speaking Catholic Community. There, he discovered his passion for working with the marginalized, especially those stricken by poverty, HIV, AIDS, and dire social circumstances. He founded the major private-public partnership HOPE Cape Town in the Western Province of South Africa to fill the gaps created in an unequal and fragmented society by the dominant government party’s struggle to transition from a liberation movement to a political party. By connecting with Europe and the United States through sister organisations and research, HOPE Cape Town’s work has the potential to stimulate synergies and shows that good practice and leading by example in a difficult and demanding environment can make a difference without getting into politics.