From these charity clothes bins....

Planet Aid clothes collection bins in Brooklyn, New York

....to a luxury swimming pool in Mexico?

Olympic-size pool at the Teachers Group retreat, TG Pacifico, in Las Pulgas

Planet Aid: is this where the money goes?

last updated: Tuesday, 30th June,, 2009

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2nd July 2009

Witness: Leah's story - IICD Michigan and Zambia

Personal statement by a returning American 'development instructor' (DI) makes grave allegations of illegal fundraising and unethical practises. (Sent in June 2009)

2nd July 2009

Alternative volunteer organisations

A list of some alternative volunteering charities to Humana, Planet Aid and Tvind. Please send us details of recommended aid charities from your country and we will add them.

30th June 2009

The 120 Teachers Group websites

Our newly updated list of more than 120 websites used by the Teachers Group to recruit volunteers and run their farms, trading companies and fee-paying private schools

28th June 2009

Follow us on Twitter

@tvindalert

27th June 2009

Witness - stories from inside Tvind

Our collection of 48 stories newly restored to tvindalert.com

25th June 2009

Humana banned for collecting clothes "for charity" in German province

The ADD, an authority in German province Rhineland-Palatinate banned HUMANA-Kleidersammlung GmbH from collecting clothes "for charity". While commercial collections remain allowed, HUMANA has to change the print on their containers by June 19th.

"The collecting embargo is necessary as the association wasn't willing to disclose the usage of the donated clothes", says ADD in a press release.

HUMANA entered an objection, however, they assured ADD to change the imprint on their bins by the deadline. Meanwhile ADD is asking for notice from the public if anyone gets aware of "bins with the tree globes in Rhineland-Palatinate".

Click here to see the press release from June 22th 2009.

23rd June 2009

"Where are your donations going?" - KSTP-TV investigation into U'SAgain

The St. Paul based TV station KSTP did an investigation into collecting boxes and "discovered that all collection boxes are not the same".

You can watch it below or by visiting the station's website.

11th June 2009

Second part of Fox TV investigation into Planet Aid

The follow-up to Fox TV Washinton's investigation into Planet Aid was broadcasted on 10th June 2009. You can watch it below or by visiting the website of Fox TV.

7th June 2009

Humana's next target: Latin America

The Teachers Group-conquistadores next target for their socalled charity, Humana People to People (HPP), is Latin America.

HPP is all over Europe, all over North America, all over Southern Africa and is having strongholds in Asia in especially India and China. Next target is Latin America.

In the last one and a half year HPP have started up in Brazil, Ecuador and Belize. And according to the Danish leader of the Latin America-expansion, Susanne Scharff Jensen, the next countries will be Mexico, Bolivia and some of the countries in Central America.

It's not a coincidence that HPP started in Brazil, Ecuador and Belize. In those three countries the Teachers Group allready have big commercial businesses - in Brazil the gigantic Floryl plantation, in Ecuador banana-plantations and in Belize many big fruit-plantations.

In Mexico the TG have build their new luxury-headquarter in San Juan de las Pulgas in Baja California. HPP have earlier been active in some of the Central American countries. But they have - to our knowledge - never before been working in Bolivia.

Cheap labour for HPP in the Latin American countries will be brought in from the three TG-schools in USA: IICD Michigan, IICD Massachusetts and CCTG California. Young people hoping to be educated as Development Instructors (which they pay a hell lot of money for) will be send down to the projects in Latin America to work for HPP.

The Teachers Group have started a new website to support their effort to conquer Latin America: www.humana-latinamerica.org

26th May 2009

Where Humana/Tvind has been blacklisted

Our updated listing of official actions, court hearings and critical reports about the Humana Tvind empire and businesses

25th May 2009

US recycling website "Green Cotton" issues warning about Planet Aid.

"Planet Aid is not recognized as a charitable organization by any of the most respected watchdog organizations in the United States or the world ... just the thought of someone using the needs of poor children in Africa as a front to get rich is repulsive. Steer clear of this organization and [do not] donate a darn thing..."

23rd May 2009

Teachers Group boss Jørgensen continued to sign papers after fraud conviction

The Teachers Group-boss Poul Jørgensen, recently found guilty of fraud, illegally continued to sign financial documents for Tvind two months after the verdict from Vestre Landsret (High Court) in January. Full story.

12th May 2009

Fox TV investigates Planet Aid in Washington

Tisha Thomson, investigative reporter for WTTG-TV Fox 5 News in Washington DC, introduces the first of three investigative reports on Planet Aid.

"But when we took a close look at it most recent tax records, we noticed many of the charities have the same address. Planet Aid claims it gave more than $2 million to about a dozen charities in South Africa, for instance. But all of those charities have the [same] post office box in Johannesburg.

"We asked the South African embassy to look them up for us. A spokesman for the embassy says none of the groups are registered charities....."

http://tinyurl.com/fox-planetaid-1

Want more information? Contact us here.

7th May 2009

Millions to TG-expansion all over the world

More than 18 million Danish Kroner (Dkr) was transferred from Denmark in 2008 to help the Teachers Group-businesses to expand internationally - in the USA, United Kingdom, China and the African countries Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia and Guinea Bissau.

The TG's Danish fortune is gathered in the "Private Independent Institution FÅ“lleseje" with a total equity of 226.827.179 Dkr (40.569.329 US Dollars). The value of the institutions properties in Denmark is 374.335.936 DKr. (66.952.108 US Dollars).

Fællesejes net income in 2008 went down compared to the year before. While it was 11.246.932 DKr (2.011.577 US Dollars) in 2007 it was only 3.704.791 DKr (662.622 US Dolars) in 2008. Due to the financial crisis Fælleseje was forced to pay back a big loan (22 million DKr./3.290.782 US Dollars) to the Islandic speculation bank Kaupthing Bank Luxembourg (read below).

Nevertheless the TG-controlled Fælleseje in 2008 gave donations or loans to expand other TG-controlled businesses all over the world for 18.399.095 DKr. (3.290.782 US Dollars)

Click here to read the list - who's got the millions?

5th May 2009

Bank-crisis severe blow to TG's fortune

The international bank-crisis has had a serious impact on the fortune of the Tvind Teachers Group, according to the Private Independent Institution "Flleseje". In the last months of 2008 "Fælleseje" was forced to pay back 22 million Danish Kroner to the Icelandic owned "Kaupthing Bank Luxembourg".

Kaupthing Bank in Iceland was taken over by the state in October last year and at the same time a District Court in Luxembourg suspended the bank there from business (suspension of all payments), in order to avoid the bank being declared bankrupt.

Originally "Fælleseje" had its main bank connection with one of the big Danish banks. However, in secret "Fælleseje" switched in 2004 to one of those new smarty and risky banks: The Kaupthing Bank Luxembourg.

In the process of trying to recover Kaupthing Bank demanded "Fælleseje" to pay back 22 million Dkr of its loans. "Fælleseje" still has 40 million Dkr. bank debts - most of it asumed to be owed to Kaupthing Bank. If there is no chance to stable the bank's financial situation til June 8th, "Fælleseje" can be forced to pay back the rest of its debts.

In order to protect "Fælleseje" the debts to Kaupthing were paid by taking a new 22 million Dkr. loan in another TG-owned company - Fairbank, Cooper & Lyle Ltd, registered in the tax haven Jersey. The company operates in agri-business, forestry and clothes recycling in North-, Central- and South America, the Carribean, Africa and Fiji.

(Source: Financial Statements for 2008 from "Fælleseje")

2nd May 2009

Rightwing extremist boss in Humana

Report by Polish newspaper Polityka.

A wellknown rightwing extremist is general manager of the Humana People to People in Poland. According to an article in the Polish magazine "Polityka" 32 year old Sebastian Mecfal together with Sebastian Kwiatkowski organized "anti-leftist happenings", when they were students at University of Ldz.

They had close relationsship to the rightwing Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek-government (1997-2001) - through Buzek's secretary, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, brother of Sebastian Kwiatkowski. The two rightwing-students got their anti-leftist acivities funded with hundred of thousands of zlotys from public institutions and companies - thanks to their relationship to the Prime Ministers office.

After these activities were revealed by the newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza" Sebastian Mecfal had to leave the university and Poland. He went one and a half year to the TG-school CICD in Hull in UK and after that one and a half year to a TG-project in Namibia. Now he is back in Poland heading Humana People to People. Asked by "Polityka" "how an extremist right-winger found himself in the movement founded by Maoist advocate", Sebastian Mecfal answers: "This organisation has long before given up on being leftist".

Read the whole article from "Polityka", 20th March 2009.

Thanks to our informant for forwarding and translating the article.

20th April 2009

Better Business Bureau Report on Planet Aid

A link to the January 2008 highly critical BBB report

14th April 2009

A Scam of Planetary Proportions?

This excellent and comprehensive article appeared on 4th April in a US newspaper.

11th April 2009

Exclusive to www.tvindalert.com

Danish municipalities pay 200 million Dkr. to Tvind in two years

by Frede Jakobsen

The Danish state has spent millions and millions of Kroner (Dkr.) to bring the Teachers Group leaders of the Tvind movement to trial for tax fraud and embezzlement - yet at the same time up to 100 million Dkr. ($17.5m or £12m) each year of Danish taxpayers' money is being poured into the Tvind coffers through the 98 Danish municipalities, which pay to send children to Tvind's so-called special schools and institutions. That enables Tvind to donate millions to its covert businesses overseas.

www.tvindalert.com has investigated to what extent the Danish municipalities still place kids with social or other kinds of problems at Tvind's social institutions and schools. The public preception is that today it rarely happens. But the truth is that an astonishing 75 per cent of municipal social departments send kids to Tvind's 27 so-called schools around Denmark. (Left: Nakkeboelle small school)

According to the information given by the authorities to www.tvindalert.com, those institutions and schools generated an income for Tvind of around 100 million Dkr in 2007 and even more in 2008.

Click here for the full story, and a detailed list of all the Danish municipalities and what they paid to Tvind in the last two years (in Danish).

>>>List of Danish municipalities and payments to Tvind (PDF file)

>>>Names of Tvind's 'special schools' and institutions in Denmark

Please credit Tvind Alert as the source of this information

30th March 2009

The top 30 most important Tvind Teachers

A link to our 'most interesting' gallery

26th March 2009

Tvind college excludes student 'for being a Muslim'

A 35 year old British volunteer, Yasin Fox, was excluded from Tvind in Denmark after just five weeks - because he is a practising Muslim, he claims.

Despite having apparently excellent marks, he was called into a meeting in early March and told to leave. Mr Fox believes he was expelled because he discussed his faith with other students. He contacted Tvind Alert directly with his story, reproduced here with his permission.

Steen Conradsen, a senior Tvind teacher at the college, denied religion was the cause. He said Mr Fox's departure was "related to dealing with some of the youngsters and students of our college, who are placed here by local authorities. The information about these students is confidential, and I am not allowed to disclose further information."

The Tvind organisation has recently received around $250,000 from Muslim donors in two Middle Eastern charities for its 'educational' programmes.

>>>> Read Yasin Fox's own story

>>>> Contact Yasin Fox

Please credit Tvind Alert as the source of this information

24th March 2009

Witness: Matrice Jackson's story - CCTG college, USA

Personal statement and account of Campus California TG college, USA (submitted February 2009). By Matrice Jackson.

14th March 2009

London college bans Planet Aid UK book recycling scheme

One of Britain's most prestigious colleges, the London School of Economics, has banned Planet Aid UK from collecting unwanted books for a 'books to Malawi' scheme, because the company was unable to provide satisfactory information about the scheme's finances or where the books ended up.

The Teachers Group-run recycling enterprise Planet Aid UK is a company and not a charity, and a BBC radio documentary last year revealed it gave only ten per cent of its turnover to 'good causes', claiming massive 'administrative costs'. Planet Aid UK is the direct successor to Humana UK, a charity closed down for fraud in 1998 by the Charity Commission.

Planet Aid collected the books via DAPP UK, a newly created linked TG enterprise that was successfully registered as a charity last year. However many of the books were not donated to Africa, and instead sold in DAPP UK shops. LSE investigators also discovered that a senior leader of the body that controls both Planet Aid and DAPP, Poul Joergensen, has been found guilty of 'comprehensive and systematic' fraud by a Danish court and sentenced to two and a half years in jail in January.

LSE is one of three UK colleges donating unwanted books to Planet Aid and DAPP UK.The others are St Andrews University and the University of Nottingham.

>>> Full article on Planet AId UK, DAPP UK and London School of Economics, by Nizar Manek

20th Feb 2009

German Government: Humana is 'not serious'

The German Governments Federal Department for Economical and Development (BMZ) has just issued a statement declaring "Humana People to People Deutschland" not to be a serious organisation for development politics.

The German Government last year (2008) started a new programme called "Weltwärts" for young people between 18 and 28 years old to do volunteer work in developing countries - through serious German non-governmental organisations. Since then 193 organisations have applied to be part of that programme. 192 organisations have been recognised. Only one have got a NO from the Department - it's Humana. BER, a Berlin-based umbrella-organisation for 70 development-NGO's, has welcomed the German Governments decission. Humana applied in 2005 for membership in BER - but it was denied.

Several members of the German Green Party raised in name of the whole faction of "Bündnis 90/DIE GRÜNEN" critical questions about Humana in the German Parliament (Bundestag) in the time up to the decission to reject Humana from being part of the "Weltwärts"-programme.

>>>> Berliner Zeitung: Afrika-Hilfe umsonst von Frank Nordhausen

The article describes from a view of former volunteers Humana's situation in Berlin - the way, the volunteers are used as "cheap resources", confusing projects in Africa, questionable financial practices.

19th Feb 2009

A link to our page on DAPP UK

18th Feb 2009

Latest e-update: media goes crazy for Tvind Alert! Call for interviews with ex-DIs. Help us unravel the tangled web of aid fraud.

Click for our latest e-update.

11th Feb 2009

Planet Aid: Collecting clothes illegally. Students treated 'like slaves'. BBC TV investigates Tvind in Britain.

This programme is no longer available on BBC iPlayer, but we hope to post a link on YouTube shortly. Please subscribe to e-updates for further information.

A BBC TV 'Inside Out' team in Britain has discovered that Teachers Group used-clothes company Planet Aid has been collecting without a licence and placing clothes bins on private land without permission.

In a short documentary broadcast on Wednesday, the BBC also found that students at a so-called 'school' run by Planet Aid in Birmingham were expected to collect more than £7,000 worth of old clothes and treated 'like slaves' - and the company gave only 12 per cent of its turnover to 'good causes'.

The BBC team in the West Midlands area of Britain were investigating Corby-based company Planet Aid UK, the College for International Co-operation and Development near Hull, and the experience of students at the Tvind 'school' in Birmingham.

The team sent an undercover reporter in to the Birmingham 'school' and easily established a link with the CICD college near Hull and with Tvind in Denmark. The programme went on to draw attention to the fraud conviction of Tvind leader Poul Joergensen last month, the allegation that Tvind is a cult and its many properties abroad.

Mike Durham from Tvind Alert and this web site was interviewed for the programme, along with David Rose, a former CICD student, and the team also confronted Birgit Soe, Planet Aid director. The 15-minute item was broadcast on regional television on Wednesday 11th February. To watch the programme on BBC iPlayer now (UK only) follow this link:

http://tinyurl.com/ccqmby

The programme is available for viewing or download (within UK only) until 18th February.

Quick links:

>>>Our dossier on Planet Aid UK

>>>Our dossier on CICD

20th Jan 2009

GUILTY OF FRAUD!

Fraud charges: Danish court today sentences the 'second-in-command' of the Tvind-Humana Teachers Group to two and a half years in jail

by Frede Jakobsen

Poul Joergensen, one of the highest ranking leaders of the Teachers Group (TG), was today convicted of fraud and sent to gaol for two and a half years.

The outcome of a long trial at the Danish Vestre Landsret court was finally announced today (Tuesday January 20th, 2009.)

Joergensen, a lawyer, is usually regarded as 'spokesperson' of the Tvind organisation and its leader Amdi Petersen. He is the only one of several TG leaders actually convicted - the trial was also against five other top leaders of the TG: Mogens Amdi Petersen, Kirsten Larsen, Marlene Gunst, Sten Byrner and Kirsten Fuglsbjerg (aka Christie Pipps). But they have all fled the country to avoid the trial.

So only the official TG-spokesperson, Poul Joergensen, stood trial and was convicted for tax fraud and embezzlement for millions of Danish Kroner.

Joergensen arrives for the court hearing

But, the verdict says, Poul Joergensen was not the only one behind the tax fraud and embezzlement of millions of Danish Kroner. The other top-leaders in the TG, including Mogens Amdi Petersen, were part of the fraud and embezzlement.

According to the verdict, it has been proven, that Poul Joergensen belongs to "a group of people in the so-called Teachers
Group, who could make decisions about" the money, although they didn't have any "formal competence".

In other words the Vestre Landsrets verdict says the opposite of what the lower court, Byretten, said back in August 2006: Yes, the activities in the different parts of Tvind are controlled by a group of leaders.

Mogens Amdi Petersen and four other top-leaders in the TG fled Denmark in 2006 to avoid the appeal trial. According to the Danish media, the police and the State Attorney will now strengthen their efforts to find Mogens Amdi Petersen, Kirsten Larsen, Marlene Gunst, Sten Byrner and Kirsten Fuglsbjerg (aka Christie Pipps) and bring them to court.

Joergensen (left) with his legal team before the verdict

The fugitives are thought to be in the Humana world HQ in Shamva, Zimbabwe - protected by thats country's dictator, Robert Mugabe. Or in the new HQ in San Juan de las Pulgas in Mexico, where the Teachers Group has a high security $10 million retreat.

Besides two and a half year in prison Poul Joergensen - who has been together with Amdi Petersen since the beginning of the Tvind movement in the early 70s - has been forbidden to take part in any fund or company board - which is a servere blow to the whole TG-system.

Poul Joergensen is the creator of many of the TG-funds and companies. In some of them he is either the CEO or a boardmember.
The hard punishment is, says the judges, because the fraud has been comprehensive, and it have been systematic, and besides Poul Joergensen has produced many lies and false documents, when the investigation was running - to try to fool the authorities once again.

Link to the court judgement

Vestre Landsret press release in Danish

Further links:

Copenhagen Post: 'Humanitarian Fraudster Convicted'

7th Jan 2009

Police raid Teachers Group school in South Africa

Police in South Africa have raided the Teachers Group school in Pinetown, near Durban, expelling two Tvind 'teachers' from the country, and causing huge problems for students from elsewhere in Africa who had not been supplied with correct documentation.

The raid on the KwaZulu-Natal Experimental College (KNEC) took place in mid-November 2008. The two Teachers Group chiefs in charge of the school, Lotte Pedersen from Denmark, and Lovemore Mawowa from Zimbawe (pictured) were arrested and held in jail for two days before being expelled from South Africa.

But the police-raid was a severe blow to many innocent students attending the school. Many were deported back to their homelands, the majority to Cameroon in West Africa, for visa irregularities. For most it meant returning back to nothing, because they had spent a lot of their own money to attend the school. They were expelled from South Africa because the TG-leadership at the school had not ensured that the students had the right visas for studying in South Africa. And they will not get their money back from the TG-school.

30th Dec 2008

US government hands over $33 million to Planet Aid

In its last days the outgoing Bush administration has given $33.8 million to Planet Aid, the North American branch of Tvind's 'humanitarian organisation' Humana People to People. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has donated wheat to that value under The Food for Progress Program. Planet Aid has got the donations for Humana projects in Malawi and Mozambique. According to USDA the Humana projects in these African countries will be "funded by sales of the donated U.S. commodities within the recipient countries". The donation to Tvind via Planet Aid is 15 percent of the whole USDA donation in 2009 to the Food for Progress Program (212 million dollars).

15th Dec 2009

Row as Danish government gives UFF £240,000

A row has erupted after the Danish Government disclosed it has given around 2 million Danish Kroner (£240,000) to UFF - the Danish section of Humana People to People. It is the first time for years that the Danish government has given money to UFF and has prompted questions in the Danish parliament. MP Peter Skaarup (left) has asked the Danish minister for overseas development to explain why the government is giving money to the organization led by Amdi Petersen, who has fled the country to avoid trial for fraud and embezzlement.

22nd Aug 2008

BBC radio and TV investigate Planet Aid in Britain

Face the Facts, the award winning BBC radio documentary, broadcast a half hour investigation into Winestead Hall College (CICD) and Planet Aid in the UK. "The links between a college in the UK and a global clothes recycling business. Students claim they are used as cheap labour to hand out leaflets and collect clothes." This programme used some of our research and interviewed the creator of this web site.