28th December 2009
US Government to investigate $ millions paid to Planet Aid
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to investigate what has happened to more than millions of dollars in grants to Tvind / Humana over the last five years. The move follows concern expressed by Tvind Alert. As already reported here, the US government agency is one of the biggest funders of the Teachers Group, handing over money and produce for ‘projects in Africa’.
Tvind Alert warned the USDA more than a year ago that it was making huge grants to an organisation associated with financial crime, whose leaders were wanted for fraud by Danish police. The USDA initially declined to act.
Danish newspaper Morganevisen Jyllands-Posten reports today that Tvind-Humana receives more funding from the USDA than any other organisation, amounting to more than half a billion Danish Krone ($96 million) since 2004.
Much of the USDA support has been in the form of wheat and soya donated to Planet Aid under USDA’s ‘Food for progress’ scheme. But it is not known what measures are in place to ensure the ‘food aid’ is properly administered once it arrives in Africa, and is not simply sold for profit.
Jyllands-Posten today quoted a senior USDA official, Judith A. Phillips, saying the USDA would in 2010 make a ’serious investigation’ of Tvind and the USDA grants.
Jyllands-Posten story (in Danish)
USDA gives $33 million to Planet Aid, Dec 2008
Hall of shame: how government agencies, charities and big business are giving Tvind millions
