Code of Ethics - Compliance ManualThe World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) is an institution concerned with maintaining high ethical standards amongst NGOs operating nationally and accross borders, and includes members from 140 different countries. Concerned with maintaining the integrity of such organizations, WANGO spent two and a half years establishing a code of ethics and conduct for NGOs which would be internationally recognized and applicable, resulting in a set of moral standards that are recognized by the UN.
When measured by the code of ethics and conduct issued by WANGO, it is clear that the oneVillage Foundation (OVF) does not comply with any of its criteria regarding the areas of transparency and accountability, as well as truthfulness and legality.
Transparency and Accountability:
"NGOs should strive for openness and honesty internally and toward donors and members of the public. Periodic accountings should be made."The degree of transparency practiced by the OVF is virtually non-existent. The foundation has not been reviewed by any certified public accountant and no reports of any financial audit have been made available. All inquiries into OVF's operations are met with lofty replies and no documentation is materializing. Further, the information that IS being published on the Internet builds on a large number of misleading remarks and facts that are false. The OVF does not intend to be transparent as it will not be held accountable by anyone for its operations and how the funds are being raised and how they are being used.
Likewise, the OVF does not comply with any of the standards issued by WANGO to fulfill this purpose:
"An NGO should be transparent in all of its dealings with the government, the public, donors, partners, beneficiaries, and other interested parties, except for personnel matters and proprietary information."The OVF publishes information on its website regarding partnerships with various institutions, as well as credentials for its key people with various organizations and companies in view of gaining legitimacy for its operations. However, upon investigation several of these close ties are not recognized by the non-OVF party. In most cases, the role of OVF in these partnerships is grossly overstated and very misleading. By combining facts with fiction, OVF is able to promote the illusion that they are a legitimate, knowledgeable NGO with serious accomplishments.
"An NGO’s basic financial information, governance structure, activities, and listing of officers and partnerships shall be open and accessible to public scrutiny and the NGO is to make effort to inform the public about its work and the origin and use of its resources."This information is not made available by OVF and therefore not in any way open to public scrutiny. Any information about OVF can only be obtained from Joy Tang herself or her closest associates.
"An NGO should be accountable for its actions and decisions, not only to its funding agencies and the government, but also to the people it serves, its staff and members, partner organizations, and the public at large."Since OVF is not legally registered anywhere, and especially neither in Taiwan nor in the U.S. out of which it operates, it cannot be held accountable by any government, nor by any public. In its partnership application of 2010 with the Leavitt School of Business at the Santa Clara university, the OVF through Joy Tang states that her organization is registered in California. This fact is most deceiving as it is untrue.
Truthfulness and Legality:
"An NGO should be honest and truthful in its dealings with its donors, project beneficiaries, staff, membership, partner organizations, government, and the public in general, and should respect the laws of any jurisdiction in which it is active."The OVF is deliberately deceitful in order to maintain the illusion that they are a serious and legitimate NGO doing good work in Africa. By avoiding legal registration, it does not apply with the jurisdiction in which it is active. In this sense, OVF operates in violation of both of the following standards:
"An NGO should give out accurate information, whether
regarding itself and its projects, or regarding any individual, organization, project, or legislation it opposes or is discussing."
This is certainly not the case, see e.g. the orphanage project in Jukwa for an illustrative example.
"An NGO should fulfill its obligations under the laws of theBeing a partner to corruption and bribery in the African countries in which OVF operates (mainly Ghana but also Nigeria) is a necessary component for how OVF operates.
nation in which it is organized or works, and must be strongly opposed to, and not be a willing partner to, corruption, bribery, and other financial improprieties or illegalities."
"An NGO should have a policy for staff and volunteers to confidentially bring evidence to the governing body of misconduct of anyone associated with the organization."The OVF network is centered around the person Joy Tang. No decisions are made in OVF without her consent. The OVF has a strong culture of avoiding all questions and by abusing the concept of trust seeks to discourage people - i.e. its student volunteers and its partners - to think independently. This is made possible through Joy Tang's grossly embellished and partly fabricated CV, where she claims experience in fields that she does not have, including a formal degree in public administration.
"An NGO should meet all of the legal obligations in the countries in which it is organized or works . Such obligations may include laws of incorporation, fundraising legislation, equal employment opportunity principles, health and safety standards, privacy rules, trademark and copyright legislation, and so forth."The OVF people are undergoing investigation by the FBI because of their ties with organizations such as the mafia and the Hell's Angels in California. The fact that they are raising funds illegally in the U.S. has been brought to the attention of the IRS.
"An NGO should take prompt corrective action whenever wrongdoing is discovered among its staff, governing body, volunteers, contractors, and partners."The OVF through Joy Tang exploits the gullibility and eagerness to serve of university students who join volunteer programs, making them partake in something that is both illegal and unethical without their realization of this fact. The OVF has a history of mobilizing local people in Africa who want to engage in development work in writing grant proposals for its organization. Most of the time, the people who become affiliated with the OVF network in this way are unaware of the true nature of their operations, and several have left upon the discovery that the OVF does not wish to operate in any legal form in the local country and that the funds promised by the OVF for community projects fail to materialize.
