Sept 1st 2002

 

 

News from Tvind Alert

Investigating the Tvind organisation and exchanging information in 50 countries

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk

No 1 Sept 1st 2002

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HAPPY TO HEAR FROM US?   This begins a new series of simple weekly bulletins from Tvind Alert.  Many Danes may already know some news items from Denmark, but Tvind Alert also receives many messages from around the world that deserve to be shared with a wider audience.  The newsletter will be sent each Sunday and a copy will be archived on the Tvind Alert site at:
http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/index/latest_news.htm

 

Jes Fabricius Mllers brief information on Tvind and news update for non-Danes: http://www.staff.hum.ku.dk/jesfab/abouttvind.htm#update

Friedrich Griesss German-language archive of Tvind news:
http://griess.st1.at/tvind

IICD Watch:
http://iicdwatch.bravepages.com/

 

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This week's top stories:

THE INSIDE STORY OF TVINDS YUNNAN INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT

YUNNAN, CHINA:  Noel joined Humana in March 2002 and was sent as a volunteer to Tvind in China.  Three months later he left the programme and emailed Tvind Alert with a detailed account.  He believed volunteers were being exploited with non-existent education for which Chinese students had to pay a lot of money.  When he complained he was subjected to a kind of circus trial.   Interesting detail on the Institutes funding, who runs it and how.

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/stories/noel's_story.htm

 

 

TVIND IN SWITZERLAND

Joe has been looking into Tvind in Switzerland.   His investigation confirms what Tvind Alert discovered about Gaia-Movement Trust Living Earth Green World Action" operating from an accommodation address at Geneva World Trade Centre, owned by a lawyer, Michael R Rogers.  Gaia is probably not collecting clothes in Switzerland although the Teachers Group has discussed this.   Not clear where money goes

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/countries/Switzerland/switzerland.htm

jovadis@yahoo.com

Tvind Alert once spoke to Michael R Rogers. He confirmed the address was being used by a Danish lady with an address in Amsterdam Tvinds address. The article from the Independent on Sunday:

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/newspapers/2000/ind_on_sunday.htm

Here is the list of Gaia signatories, mostly TG members:

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/companies/gaia_movement_trust_switzerland.htm

 

 

TRAINING CENTRE FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

INDIA:  Tvinds Training Centre for Global Development (TCGD) in Yuksom, Sikkim, now has an extensive web site at http://www.drh-india.org.  Tvind Alerts own pages on the college and on Humana India await development any offers?

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/countries/India/india.htm

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/colleges/sikkim.htm

 

HAS DRH TVIND CLOSED?
DENMARK:   A young volunteer who went to the Travelling Folk High School (DRH) at Tvind and asked for his money back four weeks later was told that DRH Tvind is closed.  This seems to be fanciful.
http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/colleges/drh_tvind.htm

 

From the Danish and international Press:

 

HUMANA SELLING USED CLOTHES TO CHANNEL ISLANDS

Aug. 25, Berlingske Tidende (Danish newspaper): UFF/Humana are selling used clothes cheap to Channel Island companies run by Tvind. This way Tvind drain the humanitarian activities to the benefit of purely commercial companies that are selling the clothes at high prices in Eastern Europe. An eye witness and documents support the allegations, says journalist Michael Bjerre. Tvind claims the low prices are due to a slow market for used clothes. (Source: Jes Fabricius Mollers homepage)

http://www.berlingske.dk/artikel:aid=208772/

 

 

THE DEATH OF A HUMANITARIAN THE STORY OF JOCHEN SCHAFFER

July 17, Berliner Zeitung (Germany):  Jochen Schaffer, a member of the Teachers Group who had worked at Winestead Hall in England and was at Tvinds ranch in Brazil, was shot by bandits in March.  Describing his death Frank Nordhausen writes: When Jochen recognised the trap, it was too late. He was on the way to fetch the salaries for the farm workers, when his car was stopped by another car standing across the road. He was shot in the shoulder and tried to escape. Then he got another shot into the chest and died immediately. All that happened on 27 March."  The rest of the story is how relatives and friends reacted on hearing of his death, and an explanation of the Tvind movement.    Nordhausen concludes: "Jochen wanted to build a better world. He never understood that he was only exploited."

http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/newspapers/2002/death_of_a_humanitarian.htm

 

 

 

Messages from readers:

 

HUMANA STILL RECRUITING HEAVILY IN SCOTLAND

EDINBURGH:  Alec reports: I was under the impression that Humana People-to-People was now no more, but I'm sure I've seen flyers popping up around Edinburgh/Scotland looking for workers in Africa and AsiaMy experience with Tvind/Humana/whatever-head-of-the-hydra was with Winestead Hall in England. A few years ago, I attended one of their recruiting fairs.  I had no knowledge of the organization but quickly felt a deep, deep but intangible sense of unease.  I remember the speed with which the staff lost interest in me when they realized I wasn't signing myself upthe staff began looking straight through me.  Also, there was the sales-pitch concerning the Caprivi Strip in Namibia being created simply to give the German Kaiser a summer home on the Zambezi. Very interesting, but what did it have to do with aid work in the 21^st century? Since then, that inchoate feeling of distrust has grown into a clearly defined opinion which is pretty much summed up on your page.  More and more, reports in the British media confirm that this is definitely not an organization with which to become involved.

PR1MACP@Student.qmuc.ac.uk

 

DANISH TVIND SCHOOLS WEBSITE

Tvind website that, usefully, lists all the Tvind efterskoles in Denmark.  This website was recently used in a recruitment ad in a newspaper in Essex, England.

http://www.volunteer.dk

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ABOUT TVIND ALERT
Tvind Alert is a voluntary set-up dedicated to investigating the international Tvind organisation and its creator, Amdi Petersen.   Tvind Alert was created by journalist Michael Durham and receives no subsidy or financial support.  (Some of us write books and occasional articles but believe us, investigating Tvind is not a lucrative occupation.)   We welcome interesting new information and you can contact us through the website or at feedback@tvindalert.org.uk (although a personal reply cannot be guaranteed). The story of Tvind Alert can be found at:
http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/newspapers/uk_press_gazette.htm

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NUMBER OF VISITORS TO TVIND ALERT THIS WEEK: 866

Current average hits per day: 123

TOP TEN COUNTRIES BY VISITOR THIS WEEK:
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Michael Durham, Editor
Marianna Maver (USA)
Han Gommeren (Netherlands)
Jes Fabricius Moller (Denmark)
feedback@tvindalert.org.uk

Tvind Alert

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