UFF clothes collection since 1989
NEWS
2nd November 2009
Finnish TV – ‘Eyewitness – Rags to Riches?’
Silminnäkijä: Ryysyillä rikkauksiin?
A 30-minute report by Finnish TV’s channel 2 about UFF in Finland, broadcast in the ‘Eyewitness’ series.
For most Finns this programme reveals for the first time the full story and background of the UFF association in Finland. UFF has worked in Finland for 20 years, since 1989, collecting and selling used clothes. It dominates the collection of used clothes as well as the second hand clothing market in the country.
However UFF Finland is shrouded in secrecy, and most Finnish TV viewers are not aware of the background of the organisation. The report tells how a group of foreigners – mainly Danes – established UFF Finland in 1989. During the initial period of the association the vice president of the UFF Finland was a Mr Poul Jörgensen. [Currently serving a two and a half year jail term in Denmark for fraud.]
”Eyewitness” decided to visit Denmark to gather information about the background of UFF. The programme describes how the Tvind empire saw the daylight in Denmark and also how idealism turned into greed and led to systematic economic crimes. The programme goes on to reveal that UFF is a tiny link in a vast net of organizations led by the so-called Teachers Group. “Eyewitness” also reveals that Jörgensen, the founder of the UFF Finland, was sentenced to a 2,5 year jail-sentence for economic crimes in January 2009.
The executive manager of the UFF Finland, Virve Kivi implies in the program that the Teachers Group has no impact whatsoever in the actual work of the UFF Finland. Despite this there are several well known TG-members on the board of directors of the association.
The reportage sheds light on the nature of the Humana-empire with a bunch of interesting interviews: young volunteers, an ex-member of the TG, investigating journalists etc. The program is based partly on archive-materials from Danish television (DR).
The eyewitness has also got hold of some new interesting video-material: a secretly fimed video on an ADPP orphanage, Cidadela, in Mozambique [supposedly funded by used clothes collected in Finland]. The secret film is a quite scandalous and revealing documentary, although “the eyewitness” shows only few short images out of the video .
Frede Jakobsen, Danish editor of www.tvindalert.com, was interviewed and features in the programme.
Silminnäkijä: Ryysyillä rikkauksiin? was broadcast at 22.05 on TV Channel 2. The programme can be seen online for 30 days [until about December 3rd] by clicking on http://areena.yle.fi and following links to << Silminnäkijä: Ryysyillä rikkauksiin?>>. The TV website and programme are in Finnish.
Last revised 3rd November 2009
