Stories sent to Tvind Alert
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Steen Thomsen was a member of the Teachers’ Group but resigned in 1998, after 26 years with Tvind. He was head master of Winestead Hall School in England 1991-1998. He has since written a report to the Danish government claiming that Tvind is a cult, and supplied this account alleging cult-like practises, financial impropriety and poor professional standards.
“I joined the place Tvind in 1974 in the age of 50 and I left again in 1987. During this 13 years I have seen the place develop from the three schools…. to a world wide undertaking with more than 30 schools…. At last I broke down…. What started like real democracy developed to a totalitarianism where nobody doubted who made all decisions. There were directors, inspectors, controllers, control, control and control again”
“I joined Tvind in 1976, because I had a very strong desire to do something in order to fight for a better world instead of just sitting around in left wing organisations at the university and just talk about it……..[finally] I realised that The Teachers Group is a sect – just like Moon Movement, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology. There is no difference.”
Patricia Brunklaus came to Tvind at the age of nineteen, in 1977. This bright, young and intelligent Dutch woman thought she was going to join an organisation which really fought for major changes to improve the world, especially for the ones in need in the Third World. It all ended in a big deception in 1984 and she left the Teachers Group. Up till today she’s fighting feelings being betrayed by the Teachers Group and being used by Amdi Petersen,
As much hard currency as possible had to be sent back to the Teachers Group in Denmark. So that’s what we did…….I was in charge of the accounts in Angola. In the beginning, the hard currency would be money we had directly earned in salaries. Later on, it was local currency exchanged into hard currency. We did it through the second hand clothes, like in Mozambique…..By 1995, around $30,000 a week in surplus hard currency was being sent back from Angola to Denmark. Often, the money was converted into hard currency at a bank in Luanda and transferred to Denmark. Occasionally it was taken from Africa to Denmark in cash. I travelled from Angola to Denmark two or three times in 1994 and again in 1995, with something like $30,000 in cash in my ‘stomach purse’…..The same kind of “hard-currency-trick” was being used all over Africa in DAPP.
Anna was a student at a Danish college in the 1980s, training to become a solidarity worker. Here she describes the odd experiences she had which led her to believe that the Travelling Folk High School was something like a cult.
An American volunteer at Tvind’s Ake Pecha college in Virginia, USA, from the 1980s describes the college, poor management, dangerous conditions for teenage pupils, concern over financial goings-on, and finally successful attempts to have it closed down.
Roy Lawaetz tried to prevent Tvind acquiring his family’s property in the Caribbean island of St Lucia in 1986, but the land was bought by Tvind with the personal backing of the St Lucia Prime Minister in a ’shotgun’ sale. This is his account.
Zahara was a volunteer in Zambia in 1987-88. Today she is a graduate student studying international development in Washington DC and facilitates workshops on “The Peace Corps and alternatives” to help people gain their first experiences overseas. She is highly critical of DAPP and the IICD. She recently published a book about volunteering abroad that makes critical mention of Tvind.
Matt was one of the early volunteers with IICD in the United States n 1989/90 and soon discovered it was a much weirder than he had bargained for….. “an authoritarian and ‘its-best-not-to-question’ mentality was evident. I now characterize IICD as a bunch of Stalinists who were very interested in communal living and decision making as long as we all agreed to what Ester and Mikael had already decided.” Like most of his team, he left.
Dan spent some time at a Tvind training college in Denmark - he found he was put in an impossible position, worked extremely hard, and expected to conform socially, psychologically and politically, and told what to think. He decided he was being brainwashed. He was psychologically traumatised by the experience.
I remember selling the flowers at 60krone a piece, we all had about 10 flowers in one tray. We did this for about 1 month 2 days a week 9 till 8 at night. Where the money went I will never know….To sum the place up there was something not quite right with Tvind. All the children or kids that were there had problems. Behaviour or anger or just parents that didn’t want them. I suppose you could call it some kind of bootcamp. It wasn’t all bad. I’m still here but mentally scared and things I will never forget. Click to read.
“It didn’t start very auspiciously. After a 24-hour coach journey I found myself alone one evening in Århus bus station – they hadn’t (as promised) come to meet me…..a number of things didn’t seem right. The headteacher – who was otherwise very friendly – warned me not to read the local newspapers….The doubts were creeping in by that stage, and from that it got worse.”
Sylvia Dawson was placed at Winestead Hall School in England in 1993 by social workers. She describes her brutal treatment at the hands of the teachers - “beaten, racially attacked and sexually abused”. Given cruel punishments, frozen and terrorised. “It has taken me nearly 6 years to come to terms with what happened, But i did. I have gone through so much, but i have learned a great deal. I am sure one day it will all come out in the open, and all those people will be stoped. But untill that day comes i can say this, All those children i lived with will comeout one day. Some one will pay for what they have done, and i hope and pray that it will come soon, so no one else has to be hurt.”
Nick travelled to Angola with Tvind in 1986. He wished he hadn’t - it was disorganised and dangerous, and he was refused medication for malaria. He concluded he had got into the hands of a cult-like organisation which put the welfare of its own members above that of the volunteers.
‘It took me two years to be able to write this. I haven’t been able to deal with all the emotions since I drove off the hill at IICD, Williamstown in the summer of 1998. I just did not want to talk about it or think about it…..I denied I had been in a cult or had in any form been “brainwashed”. I know better now – after a little time and distance.’ ‘Lars’ describes life inside the Teachers Group, including its methods of money transfer using paper salary transactions.
Kamila ran into Tvind in Prague and signed up for a course in Denmark - for many reasons, he wished he hadn’t. Like many others he found he was under psychological pressure to carry on fund-raising and found it hard to get his money back when he decided to quit.
I joined the One World Volunteer Organization in 2000 after visiting a Planet Aid school in Michigan. After making what I thought would be a life-changing experience, I made my way to the hogskole in Norway close to Lillehammer…..It turned out to be a nightmare. Our entire team left the school, but had to fight tooth and nail to get our tuition fees back
Annelie left the College for International Cooperation and Development near Hull, England, after only a few weeks, when she realised she was becoming psychologically pressurised. With others at the college, she found she had not been told all there was to know. She was assisted in her escape by her father and Tvind Alert, and her story was subsequently published in The Times.
“Some might say that asking questions is wrong, but not in this case, I was determined to find out who I would be working for, I wanted to know who the Managers or the top guys of Humana were and I wanted to know whether they knew who I was or was I just another statistic – a solidarity worker from New Zealand…..” Gita found out, and left.
“What makes me most angry is the feeling I was deliberately sucked in for their own purpose. These people don’t really care for anyone but themselves. I met lots of genuine and lovely people who were just being used and abused in the same way…..There was a strange attitude. There was no proper training. The teachers had absolutely no respect for the students and the students held the staff in contempt. I expected something professional, but it was quite the opposite.”
Ellen, a 54 year old teacher from Canada, volunteered to work with HPPI (Humana People-to-People India) in 2000, attracted by the idea of six months training and working with the poor. She quickly became disillusioned, first with the non-education at IICD Michigan, and then with the amateurism, disregard for volunteers, sniping, intrigue and bullying among project leaders in Rajasthan.
South African police arrested the principal of Tvind’s KwaZulu Natal Experimental College, Ester Boere, on suspicion of fraud in September-October 2001. Although charges were subsequently dropped, several students say they believe the decision to stop proceedings was politically influenced, and intend to continue to campaign against the organisation.
“It was totally apparent from the beginning that this was some form of a con. But what could it be? I could recognize straight away that the teachers were parrot fashioned brain-washed, reading the old script of a sales pitch….Here is my question. With all those people that really want to do some good out there, is it not possible to set up a genuine charity organization here in the UK? If your site is right (and I believe that it is ) then they are stealing from the public of this country who want to donate”
Adele’s story (CICD,2001)
Had I been told about the fraud charge I wouldn’t have paid a penny, let alone £115.00, and would not have proceeded with the enrolment. What do you think my chances are of getting my money back, just by asking politely? And if I don’t get it back, I want people to know that this organisation is still very much alive and kicking in a small corner of England.
US student, CCTG college, USA
“The first warning sign that there was something amiss was when I asked for the criteria for the applicants. The response I recieved was that it was open to “Everone who is a hardworker” that concerned me especially since it is essential to understand the pretenses in which one would choose to participate in such venture. Traveling to India, or Africa is a big deal, and not just anyone is qualified to sustain such an adventure….. ”
Martin worked as a teacher at a Tvind school in Denmark for a couple of years: he discovered that as well as bullying and ostracizing him, Tvind was systematically underpaying him - and probably hundreds of other Tvind teachers as well. It stank of corruption
Everything I’ve read in Tvindalert pages fits in my picture of this organisation. There are lots of things you tell about which happen here every day. The isolation. The tasks. The fundraising. … I decided to quit. I have options in my life, I speak several languages and will restart my studies next year anyway. But most of these people don’t really have options…….I just feel cheated and really disappointed to the fact that after all, it’s all about getting MONEY.
'I am writing to you to detail my experiences as a Tvind survivor. This is for two main reasons; firstly and foremostly to try to warn others of the Tvind/Humana network, and secondly to vent some of my anger and frustration, at what I see as being a rather elaborate con trick.....These four months I can only describe as my most unpleasant and generally pointless experience to date.' Plus: what James saw in Mozambique
A harrowing tale - Kine, from Norway, was sent to a correctional Tvind institute in Denmark. Here she alleges she was beaten, practically tortured, deprived of ordinary creature comforts and refused leave to go home. She eventually managed to escape the system, but has harboured deep resentment against Tvind ever since.
I joined the CICD in Winestead, nr Hull on 4 November [2002] thinking it was a legitimate organisation/charity and have since uncovered many distressing and dangerous practices. I have told them I want to leave and they are withholding £1,140 of my money and the same for 3 other colleagues. They refused to talk to us about refunds ……If I had not been convinced before I am most definitely convinced now that money is being siphoned off for some secret project – probably politically motivated.
‘At the moment there is NO Humana project in China ….. but if you attend a Humana info weekend in Europe you will be told that you can go to China and work on Child aid project. This is what I was told, at a time when there was no project. If this is how Humana money is spent in China how is it spent elsewhere and by whom? It makes you understand why they are so secretive and that they obviously have much more to hide.’
Scottish volunteer Gail Lawrence (gail4081@yahoo.co.uk) was sent by Humana to a filthy, spider-infested ‘squat’ in Vienna to work in Humana shops raising money. Luckily, she was rescued (by a woman who works for the UN). Gail was so outraged and disgusted at Humana she has set up her own web page with her story and pictures. She writes: ‘Hopefully, this site will educate people as to the dangers of joining such a group and avoid many others having to tell a similar story to mine.’ http://www.geocities.com/humana_experience/index.html
Hello, my name is Sara and I was a student who left IICD-MI when I was planning to go to Zambia in July [2002]. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make and I can’t honestly tell you right now that I am fully happy to be back home away from IICD-MI…….I want potential volunteers to understand that you must be CRITICAL of everything that goes on, and realize even though YOU may think you’re doing good.. that YOUR actions may be part of and helping something that is NOT!!!!!
Anybody wishing to join TG must remember that it is most certainly a money making scheme and as a TG member you are a wheel in that machine. Yes, development is there but this is simply through the hard work and love of those nice people who have decided to dedicate themselves to helping others. Nothing to do with the bigger plan!
‘I feel I have been cheated. Nobody said you had to fundraise.’ A Chinese student at one of the Travelling Folk High Schools describes how she was treated after saving up to learn to become a ’solidarity worker’
A Canadian student’s story (CICD and Mozambique , 2002-2003)
I attended CICD in England from Sept. 2002 to March 2003 and volunteered in Mozambique for six months afterwards. I’m not a “Tvind Lover” or a member of TG. I have many stories that I’m sure you’d love to post on the website about how terrible Humana is. But the truth is I can’t bring myself to do that. For every terrible story I have (such as arriving in Mozambique alone and having to find my way to headquarters alone at night), I also have a few explanations as to why this happened.
The Story About the Journey KwaZulu Experimental College, 2003
I would do it over again… but maybe not with the same organization …. The one thing no one tells you and start to find out as the days pass that the program is the most useless thing, it has no meaning and it has nothing to do with development work. The teachers are not qualified and no one is serious about teaching …. what was important to the school? More important than instructing future “Development Instructors” ? MONEY!
Kara, 2003-5
It became clear, very early on in the proceedings that the senior managers/directors of Humana have little or no business acumen whatsoever…..they couldn’t afford to pay the suppliers, eg. people fixing the containers, office landlord, car hire firm….The reason given was that the business in Austria was in financial straits and therefore there was a cash-flow crisis. However in the middle of this fiasco all the Humana Clothes Collection Managers from across Europe… were invited to a week-long jamboree in Zimbabwe and Mozambique to take place in August, all paid for by Humana. IGod only knows how much that cost Humana, but seemed to me quite bizarre in view of their present financial climate
Hellen, Germany
A German student’s story (CICD, 2004)
It is simply the sect – that is what I can say about that place. The staff recruiting the people from all world, they working for nothing, without weekends, it is not recommending to go to pubs for socialiing with local people, marriages are not aloud in any segment of school (“teachers” can not too teach and students ”slaves” can not live inside if they are married) and “teacher” should leave Humana in case of pregnancy. IIt is a shit place (in a very beatiful English landscape), simply slave driving in 21 century in Europe. They call it “reducing poverty in Africa”!
Henry, UK
Henry, an expert on Third World agriculture and land use, visited Humana People-to-People’s HQ in Zimbabwe. He came away with the belief that it was of benefit to European Tvindies and ZANU-PF, but left ordinary African farmers dependent. “My take on that setup was that they had very cleverly played into the political aspirations of ZANU-PF…” Land redistribution made simple - just a showpiece, not real aid.
HumanaTvind blog, (Lithuania, Denmark, Mozambique, 2007-8)
A Brazilian student’s story (CICD college, UK, 2007)
I am Brazilian. I spent one month in Hull, Winestead then came to Newcastle to drive a van colecting door to door clothes for then for one more month then I stop. There is no way to keep on doing this dirth job, I feel like a thief against the UK people, because people gave their clothes expecting that this is going to help someone but it is just for the pockets from that shit people from Humana.
Linda’s story (Gaia in Newcastle, UK, 2007)
This is my story about my experiences with Humana – I will call it ‘Humana’ for the sake of simplicity. My story is comparatively a short one, still it involves stories of others and gives a good insight into what is going on in UK Humana schools. The good news is that already 16 people left the organization since I started an avalanche of rebellion by leaving myself, in late 2007.
Matrice (CCTG college, USA, 2008)
Andrius Rudeiciukas (Holsted College, Denmark, 2008)
An anecdotal account by a volunteer of what it’s like to ‘fundraise’ for Holsted College on the streets of Scandinavia – a very long blog entry, but with a sad and surprising ending. On the blog ‘Excuse me, can I bother you for a moment?‘
Ghislaine, (KNEC college, South Africa, 2008)
Ok..where do I begin….maybe from the very beginning. First of all, the promotors there, who search people to participate in this Humana program, they DO NOT tell the people all the things you really need to know. So when you go there with blue eyes, believing everything, you will fall hard and fast!
Valentina (CICD college, UK, 2009)
Well, I just came back from the CICD in Hull with the worst experience feedback of my life I can say eh eh…..I totally confirm all of the facts that you wrote about….and it’s going even worst…I was on the GAIA program, leafleating 9 hours per day outdoors in the snow, with no toilet, got sick and they bring me to doctor and ask me to hichhike to come back alone with such a fever!!!
Last revised 23rd March 2010
