Farmer Mus and the OVF Farming Bluff

According to the oneVillage Foundation (OVF), the Jukwa Farmers Coop in Ghana is a successful farming cooperative established, run and promoted by the OVF. Its only online reference to this co-op, however, is from the onevillage wiki, which is run by the OVF itself.

According to this wiki, the Jukwa Farmers Coop was founded in 2004 based on the vision of a "a thriving market in Africa to produce healthy food sustainably". Also refered to as the Srowi Mixed Farmers Cooperative Society (SMFCS) in Jukwa, the goals of the co-op were "providing a livelihood for local farmers", to expand to other communities (!) and to teach villagers and farmers "how to market traditionally-produced crops as organic". This is a project that the OVF has been raising funds for, as stated on its blog:

Additional Funding Needed: We still need funding to complete the project. This includes completing the building, installing the hardware and paying for staff and fuel to operate the facility. If you can help please email us at info@onevillagefoundation.org
http://blog.onevillage.tv/?p=1437 (September 2009)

Throughout OVF's numerous websites, there is a lot of talk about the impact that OVF is having on the Ghana agricultural society, but nothing specific. These facts do not seem to disturb the OVF in any way, who, glorify their impact amongst local farmers in the following terms:

The enormous economic, social, financial and ecological benefits to be derived from the implementation of this project in the life of the project beneficiaries – Jukwa farmers, cannot be underestimated. Progress Report on Srowie Mixed Farmers Cooperative in Jukwa-Cape Coast, Ghana

During the 2009 Service and Learning Program, the 10 visiting university students from the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) were taken to Jukwa to visit the OVF's farming activities and to interview the people at the site. As part of their assignment given by the OVF, the students' reports and findings were compiled into a short video entitled Jukwa rural farming. In the video, the students refer to the OVF agricultural interest in Jukwa as a "model of social innovation and enterprise incubation". Having observed the "farming work", the students write about their experience:

"It is a story from Taiwan to Ghana... It is also a story from the urban to the rural village... We lived in the Jukwa. In the beginning, we visited the palm oils factory, to know how to make palm oils."
Jukwa rural farming

Although the topic is farming, the students are taken to a palm oil factory site, where they are introduced to a local farmer, whom they get to know as "Farmer Mus". The NTHU student in charge of the interview asks this Ghana farmer what he thinks about the "brain drain", to which Farmer Mus replies that:

"Sometimes they don't want to enter the farm... they don't want to face the problem again... That's why some of the youth don't want to enter the farm. It's very nice as a youth, even you are educated, you have to enter farm - because farming work is the backbone of every countries. As a youth, if you don't enter it, we are grown-up, we shall go, ...even practice it, who is going to feed you they need to enter farming work."
Farmer Mus, Jukwa rural farming

In another summary, one of the students shared his impression in meeting with farmer Mus and another Ghana farmer named Stephen:

"In the process, I know the two local farmers, Mus and Stephen. They were really nice and kind. I am in charge of the Jwuka farming, so I had the chance the interact with them. I love them. They smelled just like the earth. That was the taste of living with the earth, embracing the deep life energy."
http://www.slideshare.net/joytang/nthu-international-volunteers-for-onevillage-ecotour-service-and-learning-program-2009-summary-report

From the documentary and the student's reaction, one would assume that "Farmer Mus" must be an authentic farmer living an ordinary life working the land in a small community Southern Ghana, but what story doesn't tell is that "Farmer Mus" - whose real name is Mustapha Adjepong - is a very active member of the oneVillage Foundation crew and figures in a number of different roles on web pages associated with the OVF's work in Ghana.

"Farmer Mus": part of the OVF crew in Winneba, Ghana

On the picture above taken outside the OVF's so-called Winnebar Open Digital Village (WODIV), Mustafa "Farmer Mus" Adjepong can be seen wearing an OVF t-shirt, standing between OVF country director Kafui Prebbie and OVF founder Joy Tang together with the rest of OVF staff in a group photo with the NTHU 2009 students.  

Farmer Mus: a part of Denkyira family

What the story also fails to tell is that Mustafa "Farmer Mus" Adjepong, who creatively told the students about the challenges of being a local farmer in a small community in Ghana, is also connected to the royal family of Denkyira - with whom OVF's founder Joy Tang shares several years of personal connections. 

OVF founder Joy Tang and "farmer Mus" attending a wedding

One can only assume that he is either a member of the royal family himself or part of its close entourage. 

"Farmer Mus" OVF founder Joy Tang at a Denkyira ceremony

Mustafa "Farmer Mus" Adjepong's multiple involvement in promoting OVF's agricultural profile earned him an official thank you note by the OVF crew:

Moose, a farmer from Jukwa warmly hosted NTHU students during their visit in Jukwa, a rural village in Ghana where oneVillage Foundation setup a rural farming co-ops project. Moose also is a tailor by trade and well-respected opinion leader in his community. He is a role model as a team player and selfless services. Thanks, Moose!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2913044922/in/photostream/

In an interview made by friend and fellow blogger Ulrike Reinhard during the latter's visit to Jukwa in the late summer of 2010, OVF's agricultural project and its cooperation with farmers Mus [called Moss in the video] and Stevenson are introduced.

"Joy Tang, a "true believer" in the internet for the good and founder of oneVillageFoundation on how ICT can help farmers. One of her projects on farming in Ghana is located in Jukwa, Ghana. At the end she is interviewing two of the Jukwa farmers: Moss and Stevenson."
Joy Tang on how ICT can help farmers, produced and directed by Ulrike Reinhard

Joy Tang presenting "Farmer Mus" for the camera

In this video, Joy Tang presents Farmer Mus as “one of the dear farmers in our group in the coop, his name is Mustapha.” Why would the OVF and its founder Joy Tang disguise one of its own co-workers, elsewhere referred to also as a secretary for OVF activities, as a farmer in Jukwa? The need to mislead the public in having OVF people pose as farmers in order to present the agricultural work of the OVF to the volunteer team from NTHU as well as to the broader public raises serious doubts as to whether the OVF in fact has ever engaged in any serious work with real-life farmers in Ghana at all? And why would one claim accomplishments in farming, when the professed purposes of the OVF are firstly people affected by AIDS and secondly the concern with connecting people to the Internet?

Left: OVF worker Mus pretending to be a farmer Right: OVF founder Joy Tang bringing the students to the "farm"

The OVF needs to come clean with these explicit deceptions of students entrusted to them as volunteers by prestigious universities such as the NTHU, as well as the greater public. There are real problems and real farmers in Africa and elsewhere which can be properly addressed by people who are actually motivated by helping them, rather than by making a name for themselves in the international community and soliciting funds based on falsehoods. Africa and all struggling farmers in the world certainly deserve better.

Joy Tang, Stephen & Mus brings the NTHU students to visit the Denkyira King

To see more of "Farmer Mus" and "farmer Stephen", see the following links:

OVF worker Mus brings the students to the palm oil production site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2880375385/
Mus the Tailor with a newly made dress for OVF founder Joy Tang: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2977177758/
Mus the Tailor and OVF founder Joy Tang discussing fabric: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2977174438/in/photostream/
OVF worker Mus accompanies the NTHU students to see the chief of Jukwa: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2912277267/
OVF worker Mus with OVF founder Joy Tang and OVF worker Stephen at the beach http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2977200038/
OVF worker Mus at the beach http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2976328739/in/photostream/
Mus & with the students at a restaurant: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2922625231/
The Mus Family with the NTHU students http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2922625223/in/photostream/

Mus with members of the Royal family of Denkyira and OVF founder Joy Tang http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2977791535/in/set-72157608420084610/
Mus with members of the Royal family of Denkyira and OVF founder Joy Tang http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2977794299/in/set-72157608420084610/ 
Farmer Stephen with Joy Tang http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2976307975/in/photostream/

Farmer Stephen and Joy Tang http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2976303557/in/photostream/
OVF worker Stephen, Mus the Tailor and OVF Founder Joy Tang http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2976324279/in/photostream/
OVF worker Stephen and OVF founder Joy Tang at the beach http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2976326879/in/photostream/
Stephen the artist http://www.flickr.com/photos/1village/2958744822/in/set-72157608201069668/

Learning what and when to applaud: Students socialized by OVF through volunteer programs

In previous posts, serious concerns have been raised regarding the partnership between the Tsing Hua university (the NTHU) in Taiwan and the Joy Tang/oneVillage Foundation for a volunteer program for the university students to Ghana.

The NTHU is not the only university leaving part of its organized volunteer services for students in the hands of Joy Tang and the oneVillage Foundation. Also the Leavitt School of Business at the Santa Clara University lists the oneVillage Foundation as a partner for its Global Fellowship Program, and OVF's application for 2011 can be found online here. (However, to this day it would seem that only one volunteer from this university has visited OVF, accompanying OVF representative in the U.S. Jeffrey Buderer on a visit to Taipei in the fall of 2009.)

As any organization working with interns or volunteers would know, taking care of people with very little experience in a particular field can be both challenging and time-consuming. The upside is of course the potential benefits that can be gained through low-cost assistance and especially of future positive ambassadors for one's organization at the end of the term. It is a commitment that few organizations would enter into without a clear purpose for what they want out of the exchange.

The question then is what motivates the OVF to take such an interest in students? In a conversation with fellow blogger Ulrike Reinhard over Skype, OVF's founder Joy Tang explains her concern with the Taiwanese students who have been received yearly by the OVF people in Ghana since 2008:

"My own experience with working with Taiwanese young people. Just in a very short period of time, less than two full years, this collective learning, the consciousness or ... space of learning for them has really expanded. From the very beginning, they would ask a question like: "Are they barbaric?" This kind of shocking language, almost to your face you want to cry for them! But you cannot really punch them in their face! And how, where is this from, where is this coming from? Is it from media, is it from your parents? Is it from your school? Is it from your peers? You ask them; in their very sincere way I think they will listen with their hearts. And then provide methods, guide them, walk with them, coach them, going through this process of investigation. So that before you even deliver this bundle of treasures ... to another group of people you know that they have already prepared themselves in the best of themselves. And they are trying to do that, I think whatever they pretend is to be applauded. And I think that is what we need to give to our young people - all over, everywhere!"

http://www.catboant.com/category/conversations/joy-tang/ (Can we learn to applaud each other? Conversation between Joy Tang and Ulrike Reinhard, Dec. 22nd 2009; 30:45-32:30)

Through the partnership with OVF, universities submit their students to the guidance of Joy Tang and her team of OVF people who present these young people with very limited experience of the international community and no prior knowledge of Africa to sites and people approved and selected by the OVF. The OVF will introduce their visitors to representatives of the real people they claim to be helping, who instead turn out to be OVF staff in disguise or personal friends. The result is such blatant "mishaps" as the report on the Stoughton Home Orphanage, where the students were fed the story of how this came to be but had no frame of reference of their own that would allow them to question whether wild elephants are in fact to be found trampling around the fields in Ghana...

Another word for what Joy Tang and the OVF are doing with the students is making them undergo a process of socialization - though the OVF terminology for this would be undergoing a transformation with the aim of freeing oneself from what the OVF considers is standing in the way of effective learning and development. Socialization is a process by which individuals learn to conform to the norms and roles that are required for integration into a particular community and network, based both on adhering to certain explicit rules but also on striving to meet the perceived expectations of the group in question. Though some degree of socialization is always to be expected and also desired, to the OVF this is more than the natural process of learning to function in a new environment. As Joy Tang explains in her interview, this is an objective in itself of the volunteer program: "And then provide methods, guide them, walk with them, coach them, going through this process of investigation. So that before you even deliver this bundle of treasures ... to another group of people you know that they have already prepared themselves in the best of themselves." In other words, by providing the methods, guidance, a continuous presence ("walking with the") and coaching, the students are made to see the OVF version of the world and how it should be interpreted.

When such a process explicitly targets people who lack the tools of critically understanding what they are experiencing because they are introduced to an environment far away from their own, then it comes dangerously close to brainwashing.

In her conversation with Ulrike Reinhard, Joy Tang brings up the issue of learning to applaud each other, of expressing and showing gratitude for the contribution of others. Though the idea of applauding as if working towards a better world would be best described as some kind of performance seems quite out of place, it is most worrying when put in the context of the kind of socialization bordering on brainwashing that is practiced by the OVF. Then it has to do with taking away the tools that people are naturally endowed with for thinking for themselves and making up their own minds about something by discouraging questions and dissident opinions, and creating a contained environment of people loyal to OVF with whom to interact.

Teaching what and when to applaud is a most useful way to disguise a fraud and make others see what you want them to see. It only takes one simple question, though, to come free of the illusion: why? True learning can only come from understanding the purpose.

Does the Bertelsmann Foundation condone international fraud?

In February 2010, OVF's founder Joy Tang joined the blogging team at the then newly created Future Challenges internet-platform that was established and is moderated by a team of people from the Bertelsmann Foundation, including economist Ole Wintermann. This platform provides a virtual space where subscribing members are able to suggest ideas as well as share the opinions of a handpicked group of bloggers with diverse background expressing their views on various topics, all under the somewhat lofty heading of "global megatrends". The discussion is moderated by the Bertelsmann team, and introductory video clips have been made of each Future Challenges blogger by fellow blogger Ulrike Reinhard. According to the futurechallenges.org website, its mission is:

"...to foster the dialogue between experts and non-experts. Our aim is to empower people and institutions to discuss future challenges. For the very first time in the history of mankind we truly have the chance to understand our future as a common global one and to shape it by using the power of networks and the wide range of online collaboration tools." http://futurechallenges.org/web/guest/about

Behind the idea of an enclosed virtual space for circulating ideas that are related to the opinions of futurechallenges-endorsed experts lies the underlying belief that such dynamics will enable the addressing of "world urgent issues" in a focused and time-efficient manner. In other words, it is an arena that seeks to steer creativity in a certain direction, depending on the agenda of its opionion-makers and that of its moderating team.

The Bertelsmann Foudation is a foundation that was established in order to further the social commitment of its founder and long-time leader of the Bertelsmann media corporation Reinhard Mohn (who passed away in October 2009). As part of the generation born in the 1920s, Reinhard Mohn strongly valued the right of individuals to an education and focused particularly on providing access to meaningful educational opportunities. Today, the Bertelsmann Foundation defines itself as a think tank and a catalyst for social change, striving to implement a commitment credited to its founder: "We are committed to "helpfully improving the way things are"." http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/cps/rde/xchg/SID-C5DA762E-2E208DE0/bst_engl/hs.xsl/2085.htm

Priding itself on being an actor with strong integrity that is pointing the way to the future, the Bertelsmann Foundation professes also bold aspirations of clearing the ground of any obstacles that might come in the way of such social improvements;

"The Bertelsmann Stiftung is independent and nonpartisan. We design, launch and run our own projects. As a learning organization, we aspire to excellence. As an independent force for reform, we aim to break down barriers that stand in the way of social progress." http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/cps/rde/xchg/SID-C5DA762E-2E208DE0/bst_engl/hs.xsl/2086.htm

Does this mean that Bertelsmann values truthfulness and objectivity in what it advocates for, realising that the responsibility that comes with actively partaking in shaping the future may at times be both costly and inconvenient?

In her introductory interview for futurechallenges.org, OVF founder Joy Tang applauds the Bertelsmann Foundation's initiative. In what looks more like an informal rehearsal, OVF's founder is found practising the five key words that will best describe her to the forum; including Africa, drummer or drumming, ICT4D, NICs and ecoliving. All of these interviews follow a concise format with the ambition of making people summarize their interests and what they are looking to achieve in a few chosen words. It seems that the futurechallenges platform allows space for the circulation of many a big word, but no real time for (critical) reflection.

"The second question besides money why would I want to get involved with FutureChallenges? I responded to the ad that I would do it anyway, without money. (...) I think it's exciting that Bertelsmann Foundation is sponsoring and working with us on this one, because I think that the social networking perspective, coming together, the convergent views of the world and linking that with so-called organizational view, I think that is one of the challenges, one of the missing links in the world, and I think it needs to be actively connected, and actively dialogued. In between the organizations that we have seen around us and also the emerging social networks of the social networking system." Joy Tang of OVF in introductory video for futurechallenges.org, February 2010

Though much can be said about what it means to be shaping the future by propagating convergent views of the world and under the illusion of real reflection, the endorsement of OVF founder's blogging activites by Bertelsmann raises much more serious questions about what kind of activities they condone and what motives are driving the ideas they seek to promote:

1. What is Bertelsmann's position on the oneVillage Foundation and its so-called charity activities?

2. What guidelines are applied in the selection process of the official bloggers of futurechallenges.org?

3. How does Bertelsmann ensure that its values of integrity and of "helpfully improving the way things are" are maintained within a forum consisting of actors belonging to the same network? And in particular, when many of the official bloggers are personal friends and acquaintances of the people running and moderating the platform?

4. Is Bertelsmann concerned at all with the information that has surfaced indicating that the oneVillage Foundation headed by futurechallenges blogger Joy Tang is in fact a case of international fraud?

5. Does Bertelsmann through its trendsetting organ futurechallenges.org seek to legitimize the kind of fraudulent practices that are implemented by such NGOs who are taking advantage of funding opportunities of the international community in order to indulge in activities that seek to benefit their own network, such as the OVF?

All of the above questions raises serious doubt as to whether the Bertelsmann Foundation through its trendsetting organ futurechallenges.org that is especially targeting the new generation does indeed take its commitment of "helpfully improving the way things are" seriously. Or if this is merely a soft disguise for other motives behind its agenda to foster the future of society which remain undisclosed.

The future will tell?

What happened to the 2010 Giant Bike Donation?

Presentation of the main "service and learning activities" for the NTHU/OVF Ghana Service Program 2010

One of the things that the oneVillage Foundation (OVF) refers to as its 2010 accomplishments is the Bike Ghana Project, where 102 used bicycles of the Giant brand were donated by the Cycling Life Style Foundation in Taiwan through the fundraising efforts of the students of the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU):

07.13.10 | Taipei Taiwan – OVF and 10 National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) International Volunteer students secured a donation of 102 used Giant bicycles. Giant is a leading global manufacturer of high quality mountain and conventional street bikes.

OVF Ghana Receives 102 Bikes from Giant Bike Taiwan

In July 2010, the OVF announced that the bikes were to be shipped to Ghana, where they would assist workers engaged in "agricultural production" with limited options for transportation. According to the OVF, these 102 donated bicycles would have a considerable impact on Ghana society, helping not only farmers with transportation but also strengthening Taiwan's reputation as a producer of reliable and useful products:

"The bikes deployed through the Bike Ghana effort initiated by OVF and with the help of the students will be used to assist workers many of whom are engaged in agricultural production in Ghana and have limited transport options. We believe that the introduction of bicycles will help residents improve the efficiency of agricultural transport, while also promoting Taiwan’s reputation to make and distribute reliable and useful products."
http://www.onevillagefoundation.org/giant-bike-donation

 

In September 20th 2010, the OVF posted on its blog that the bikes had arrived in Ghana and would be used in a new project entitled the Taiwan Bike Bike Ghana Project (TBBG):

"oneVillage Foundation Ghana has taken delivery of 102 slightly used bicycles, 51 pairs of brand new bicycle tires, and some maintenance tools, from Giant Bikes Taiwan. The bikes and components are to be used to implement OVF’s Taiwan Bike Bike Ghana (TBBG) Project."

OVF Ghana Receives 102 Bikes from Giant Bike Taiwan

Although the OVF announced that its sponsor was the Giant corporation, the real donor was in fact the NGO sprung out of Giant named the Cycling Life Style Foundation, which has a habit of yearly donating those bicycles being retired from its bike rental services.

The TBBG program was according to OVF aimed at addressing "world urgent issues" and would "encourage a culture of biking in Ghana as means of healthy living" (inspired perhaps by the aims of the Cycling Life Style Foundation?), reduce "manual labour" by farmers and cultural groups through rental bike stations, as well as "reduce carbon dioxide emissions".

It should be noted, however, that whilst many people in Africa cannot afford a car, a bicycle is traditionally the poor man's way of getting around even in farming communities, as long as there is at least a dirt road to use.

The OVF obviously had high hopes and ambitions for these donated bicycles, as expressed by OVF co-worker in Ghana Nii Tete Saashi Koi, who reported in September that:

"We are also going to use the Bikes (Sponsored by GIANT) to help create the awareness, by donating to religious bodies and also use them as a contact point to households and individuals who have the capacity to help to support the Home." Together by Destiny: Holistic ICT for Ecoliving

Although what is meant by a "contact point to households and individuals who have the capacity to help to support the Home..." is left unexplained, it gives the strong impression that bicycles were donated to certain influential members of the Jukwa society to enlist their benevolence vis-a-vis the OVF-supported Stoughton Horizon Orphanage home in Jukwa. This might indeed explain why one of the bikes was given to the Chief of Jukwa himself. However, as one of the earlier posts on this website has shown, there are serious concerns regarding the Stoughton Home and whether it is in fact operating as a legitimate orphanage at all.



Indeed, if the donated bikes were initially supposed to address "urgent world issues", reality would turn out less grand. According to the OVF, part of the Giant bikes were distributed to the Chief, the Mayor, the Education Director and the Police Commander of Winneba (where the OVF office in Ghana is located), members of a local musical group in Jukwa (The Ompeh Group), university and high school teachers, OVF staff, the Chief of Jukwa, local "opinion leaders", an unspecified number of "young girls who walk long distances to school", as well as "selected students" from the Jukwa Senior High School (a prestigious school known for its national sports achievements). Though it is hard to picture the police commander of Winneba cycling to work, could none of these recipients have afforded to purchase a bicycle themselves, if they were keen to be cycling? In any case, none of these recipients were farmers who would use the bicycles as claimed for more efficient transportation of their agricultural produce.

In the end, according to OVF's own report, 20 out of the 102 bicycles were awarded to children from deprived schools. The names of these deprived schools, however, remain known only to the OVF staff themselves.

Of the 102 bikes, another 20 (along with maintenance tools, a mechanized foot pump and 30 extra tires) were given to the Unity Drum Cultural Group (run by Emmanuel Richardson, an employee of the oneVillage Foundation and a close friend of Joy Tang) to set up a bike rental station that would, according to OVF's own account, be able to create employment for the group members and help finance the group.

In its own statements, the OVF has promised that all receivers of the 102 bicycles will fill out questionnaires in view of planning future bike programs. As one can easily imagine, the bike distribution was very popular with those who received free bicycles, and has generated a large interest as well as expectations in the circles surrounding the UnityDrum people for a new distribution in the future.

However generous a sponsor the Cycling Life Style Foundation may be, they will be concerned with the good use of the name of GIANT and how sponsored activities reflect on the brand. The OVF has promised to produce a report about the use of the bicycles in the hope of establishing a long-term partnership with the Cycling Life Style Foundation, which it refers to as Giant. Such a report has yet to surface.

Joy Tang handing over bike donation to members of the Ghana police force

One is left to wonder why OVF will claim such high aims and ambitions in order to secure donations in kind when the reality is that these are used to generate goodwill amongst both the people working for and with OVF in Winneba and Jukwa, as well as securing a favourable attitude towards OVF by local officials.

OVF and UnityDrum: Incubating business through drumming?

The latest addition to the oneVillage Foundation Team is Emmanuel Charlse Richardson, a young Ghanese who has been part of the OVF Ghana welcoming committee for the NTHU volunteers from Taiwan since 2008.

Emmanuel Richardson's role is presented on the OVF website as:

"Emmanuel Richardson – Program manager of Unity Drum – is passionate about his culture and tradition. Growing up in Cape Coast, Ghana, he lives and breathes the stories and rhythms of his elders’ life experiences. His dream is to share his culture with the world through dancing, drumming, singing and storytelling. He is a modern-day ‘GRIOT’ – the traditions carrier to create civilization and community life. He has been an instrumental goodwill ambassador of Ghana to the Taiwanese Youth during oneVillage’s EcoTour Service and Learning Program in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, Richardson will lead a group of young Ghaha performing artists to participate in OVF  ’digital archive’ program to form collaborative networked improved community with Taiwan NTHU Youth in art for development." http://www.onevillagefoundation.org/team

Whilst the connection between drumming performances and community development even through ICT seems at best far-fetched, it is better explained by the strong interest taken by OVF's founder Joy Tang in African drumming and in particular in the ancient spiritual traditions of Voodooland. Emmanuel Richardson, a close personal friend of Joy Tang, performs with a group in Ghana called Unitydrum, which coincides with the name Joy Tang has been using for her African drumming circles outside of Africa. (Emmanuel Richardson features in the 04/2011 edition of We Magazine which is run by Joy Tang's friend and associate Ulrike Reinhard). Now, however, the name Unitydrum is being used as an umbrella name for Joy Tang's blog, twitter profile and various activities, blurring any distinctions between what is carried out with funds obtained through the oneVillage Foundation and any hobby or cultural activities seeking to initiate people in the West in griot traditions. As Joy Tang writes herself:

"... the GRIOT tradition of West Africa which has been the core of my motivation in designing oneVillage Initiative: the working process and guides for the ICT4D in Africa and beyond." (Learning African Culture from Puppetry, UnityDrum Times)

It is no secret that the decade-long activities of the oneVillage Foundation are an expression of the personal interests of OVF founder Joy Tang. "...the last ten years which I have felt is my passion, it is my life - I would not really say it is my work, but I'm making one of my passions my work in my life." is how she chooses to describe what she has been doing for the last ten years (i.e. the time that OVF has been in operation) in a conversation with friend and fellow blogger Ulrike Reinhard published online. But how does the personal study of African Griot traditions, rooted in the spiritual beliefs and practices of the voodoo religion, by OVF's founder apply to the mission of a charity foundation that is raising funds for the development of poor rural communities in Africa?

In a presentation of the oneVillage Foundation "bike project" in Ghana, the OVF refers to Unity Drum as its "Social enterprise Incubation Program". Now the purpose of a business incubator - be it for so-called social enterprises that are committed to non-profit activities or for for-profit businesses - is to provide and assist with initial resources for start-up such as low-rent office facilities at the incubator center, access to networks and to various kinds of business expertise. Such incubators often spring from an academic institution and tend to be located in science parks or near university campuses.

As any business incubator facility knows, business incubation is a serious commitment. The start-up process for any business idea and entrepreneurial team is time-consuming and advice on managerial, financial and strategic issues will be heavily solicited. It is also a concept that is based on the geographical concentration of start-ups to the same physical location in order to create an inspiring and helpful environment for the founding teams. Furthermore, depending on the academic institution of their affiliation, these incubators are able to specialize in certain technologies thus providing access to in-depth expertise within specific fields and enabling recruitment of key people among alumni or academics.

OVF's social enterprise incubation program is presented as one of six tracks for a service and learning tour program (i.e. the volunteer program that is a partnership between OVF and the NTHU). This in itself raises questions about whether it is a commitment that the OVF takes seriously - provided that the OVF people understand the meaning of the term - or merely rhetoric? On its website, the link provided for further information about this program leads to the webpage of 1village, a consultancy business in Winneba run by OVF's head of Ghana Kafui A. Prebbie. Again, any distinctions between what is in fact the oneVillage Foundation's operations in Ghana and what is actually a consultancy firm with a most similar name run by one of OVF's main people is most confusing.

On another page of the OVF website, business incubation is included as one of the goals of its so-called Taiwan Bike Bike Ghana (TBBG) project:

"Set up a bike rental station in Cape Coast to be managed by the Unity Drum Cultural Group (OVF Social enterprise Incubation Program),  to create employment for some unemployed members and create a income stream to fund the group’s operations"

It is most interesting to learn that OVF equates the provision of business incubation services with creating employment for members of a group of dancers and musicians/griots including its own staff and the close personal friend of OVF's founder, with the aim of providing them with a steady stream of income. This must imply that the group is not able to finance itself by performing. Whyever the financial support from funds raised by OVF to its own people would be called business incubation is very hard to understand, and raises serious doubts as to whether the OVF people are actually aware of the meaning of the numerous concepts that they profess to be implementing on their website.

But even more seriously, it raises the question of who is in fact benefiting from the funds of this charity foundation? We strongly encourage the OVF to submit financial reports and official documentation from its more than ten years of operations that will allow for a transparent evaluation of its activities. This should be done for all geographical areas of operations, including Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Taiwan and the U.S.. We also recommend that the OVF clear its paperwork issues with all relevant authorities in the countries in which it operates.

Has CISCO provided the platform for the establishment of an international fraud?

The OVF and Joy Tang would not have been able to establish any partnerships with any serious organization or institution without the credibility of Ms. Tang's claimed background and experience 1996-2003 with CISCO in the U.S., first as an employee and then as a Cisco fellow.

The question is whether Joy Tang in fact has ever worked for Cisco, and if so, what position she held there?

According to Ms. Tang's own written account, she was first employed by Cisco Systems in 1996. She held various positions during her five years with the corporation. Then, in the summer of 2001, she was enrolled as a Cisco Fellow with the Cisco Foundation, a program that was made available as the corporation downsized that year by 8,500 employees. Ms. Tang claims to have held this fellowship until February 2003.

Now, in 2000, Ms. Tang launched into charity by founding the Aids Relief Foundation which was soon thereafter to become the oneVillage Foundation. Thus, during the period that Joy Tang was financed by Cisco to do volunteer work for NGOs, she was running a foundation of her own. A foundation that turns out to be a front for an international fraud network.

At the oneVillage blog, Joy Tang's tenure with Cisco and her efforts to involve the corporation in the oneVillage operations are described by the OVF people:

"...After establishing a successful career at Cisco, oneVillage Foundation founder Joy Tang was assigned to several projects in Africa.

...While at Cisco she lobbied the top level leaders to transition Cisco towards a focus on developing economies in Africa." http://blog.onevillage.tv/?page_id=2

For anyone wanting to verify whether Joy Tang was indeed an employee as she states in her own cv and professional data, they will find that the corporation is not very forecoming in providing such information, even though one would think it would be in their own interest. In any case, Joy Tang is using the name of Cisco to open doors in both Taiwan and the U.S., and to appear to have solid, technological knowledge which she does not have.

The possibility that Ms. Tang would have used her endorsement by the Cisco Foundation as a platform to establish a fraudulent charity raises a number of questions for Cisco:

1. What was the policy of the Cisco Foundation regarding the activities of its fellows in 2001-2003?

2. What criteria does Cisco apply when selecting which NGOs to endorse or to work with?

3. How does Cisco ensure that these NGOs comply with international ethical standards such as the WANGO code of ethics and conduct?

4. Is Cisco aware of instances such as the above where its name is being used to give credibility to NGOs that are not serious charities and which operations are both unethical and illegal in most countries around the world?

5. If not, how can Cisco responsibly address the issue of smaller organizations and institutions with less international experience or knowledge of the aid community being deceived and exploited by delinquent actors drawing advantage from the Cisco brand and name?

The National Youth Commission sponsors OVF volunteer partnership at the NTHU

Since a few years, most universities in Taiwan have established student volunteer programs where the students are offered the opportunity to do volunteer service abroad for an NGO. Such volunteer programs have been strongly encouraged by the Taiwanese government, as a way of strengthening the international profile of a country that is still unrecognized as an independent nation by the international community. Consequently, these programs are partly subsidized by public funds through the National Youth Commission (the NYC).

The domain of international NGOs can be murky waters indeed, hence the need for codes of ethic and conduct (such as that of WANGO) to facilitate the assessment of potential NGO partners. At the National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Hsinchu, one of these programs involves Ghana and is run by Joy Tang and the OVF through a partnership with the NTHU. The case raises serious issues regarding how public funds are allocated to strengthen the international profile of prestigious Taiwanese public institutions:

1. How is it possible that public funds be allocated to establish the platform for a partnership with an organization that poses as an international NGO, when it is really a fraud, with no legal body in Taiwan and no office?

2. What control mechanisms exist that will ensure that no student of any public university in Taiwan is exploited by an NGO whose operations are both illegal and unethical?

3. What independent body is responsible for reviewing the partnership agreements between public universities and NGOs?

4. What are the means that enable the NYC to ensure that the public support that is allocated to volunteer programs involving NGOs is being used in an appropriate way, and meeting legal and ethical standards?

5. In what way are the relevant public officers brought up to date with issues of concern regarding international NGOs? Have they been made familiar with international moral and ethical standards? Do they know which documentation to ask for in order to make a solid evaluation of a potential partner?

6. Have the universities received the relevant guidelines for how to proceed regarding NGO partnerships, so that the reputation of both students and public universities is protected?

OVF fails to live up to UN-endorsed 'Code of Ethics and Conduct' for NGOs

Code of Ethics - Compliance Manual

The 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 the
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."

Being 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.

"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.

Misleading information about a NTHU-sponsored orphanage in Ghana

The National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) has, according to its own account, a long and proud history. Originally established in Beijing in 1911, it was relocated to Taiwan in 1956 where it enjoys a solid reputation as a serious, high-quality public institution. It is located in the city of Hsinchu and is today "consistently ranked as one of the premier universities in Taiwan", as well as "widely recognized as the best incubator for future leaders in industries as well as academics."

On their website, the National Tsing Hua University presents its Learning by Service program, where students of the university are sent out to various sites around the world, with the aim of contributing to serious charity work and offering their knowledge to those in need. One of the available programs is in Ghana, and it is run by Joy Tang and the OneVillage Foundation since 2008.

But is the NTHU aware that their students are being set to work for a fraudulent organization, and that their activities are contributing to strengthening the illusion that OVF is a legitimate charity?

The National Tsing Hua University reports that in 2010, the students of the Ghana program raised funds for a local orphanage:

"A large portion of the fee collected from this operation went to the local orphanage to support their programs."
National Tsing Hua University, Cover Story: Learning by Service (2010)

The orphanage in question calls itself the "Stoughton's Horizon Children's Home" and has a wiki page on OVF's so called Open Digital Village Wiki, which has been set up by the NTHU students at the initiative of Joy Tang. It is run by an acquaintance of Joy Tang - Ms Agnes Ampong - and was set up in 2008; the same year that the NTHU - OVF Ghana partnership was established. Although they claim to have 12 "orphans" in their care, the "orphanage" is not legally registered (which was confirmed by telephone communication with Ms Ampong on March 12th, 2011) and is therefore operating illegally, under no supervision of the Ghana authorities.

According to the report by the NHTU students, the orphanage home was set up under most peculiar circumstances. They were told that the home was established because wild elephants supposedly had trampled a large number of fields, resulting in Ghanaian families actually ABANDONING their children, (rather than leaving them in the care of the larger family network that is the basis for African society and which explains why one will find a small number of orphans who are not taken care of any family member even in the poorest of African countries; unless they have been ravaged by civil war). On the Stoughton Home's wiki page, the NTHU students write:

"As a result of many years of elephants destroying vast fields of crops and even cocoa pods in Kakum National Park surrounding villages, many children became homeless and abandoned."
WODIV, Horizon Orphanage, Project Justification (2009)

The OVF's own website presents the support of the Stoughton's Horizon Children's Home as one of its accomplishments in Ghana. There is no mention whatsoever, however, of the fact that the orphanage (in reality sponsored by the NTHU students and not by OVF) is not legally registered. The collaboration between OVF Ghana and the Stoughton's Horizon Children's Home is described as one of the programs outlined for the 2010 Ghana "OVF-NTHU Eco-Tour" and labeled an "orphanaged camp" activity.

"During the Orphanage Camp, the team will interact and have fun games with kids at the Stoughton Horizon Orphanage, Jukwa, whiles finding out their real needs and how OVF can help meet them."
oneVillage Foundation, Holistic ICT for Living: The 2010 HTSU students have arrived! (2010)

Although the oneVillage Foundation itself lacks a legal structure and is therefore itself raising money illegally, it refers to its Ecotour program as a "humanitarian project", which is focused on servicing orphanages in the central region of Ghana. According to OVF, the students:

"...documented the stories in the orphanages visited, to make their stories voiced via Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools, such as blogs. With the information online, there is no doubt that people around the world can hear their stories, which helps to run these orphanages continuously and deliver endless hopes for children."
oneVillage Foundation, Holistic ICT for Living: The 2010 HTSU students have arrived! (2010)

According to the NTHU students, they serviced the Stoughton home with 320 books, 44 toys, 43 pieces of clothing, one "bag of stationary" and a first aid kit. More details are given by the OVF itself, writing that the NTHU students presented Ms Ampong with "books, toys and other items collected from donors and well wishers in Taiwan". They categorized the books and tried to teach two of the teenage boys to do so themselves. The students also taught the children in Ms Ampong's care how to play a Taiwanese game called "Tuoluo", do paper design cuttings and "other things". Further, the NTHU students provided the home with "some light bulbs for the reading corner and other rooms" while OVF itself "sponsored painting of the interior and exterior of the home."

The painting job sponsored by the OVF of the Stoughton home may very well have been necessary to make the building look more legitimate for the students' arrival.

According to Ms Ampong, it was the promises of Joy Tang of the OVF to support the orphanage financially in 2008 which led to the home being opened. But to this date, the Stoughton Home has yet to receive any funding from Ms Tang or the oneVillage Foundation, and are left to seek donations from elsewhere. Now, why the orphanage after three years of supposed operations still has not been legally registered with the authorities in Ghana is a question Ms Ampong cannot answer.

Any serious NGO would not be involved with an orphanage that does not stand under the supervision of any serious institution and the local authorities. Who will ensure that these children are not being exploited? Who is taking responsibility for their wellfare? Ms. Ampong herself is fully employed at her daytime job at the Kakum National Forest Park.

Is the National Tsing Hua University - a reputable institution with numerous partnerships - aware of the fact that it is sending trusting and eager students to a foreign country to volunteer at an UNREGISTERED charity (the Stoughton Home) through an organisation (OVF) that itself lacks the basic legal structure required by all NGOs to operate legally? There are several questions which the NTHU needs to consider: Questions for NTHU.

Questions concerning the NTHU involvement with OVF and Joy Tang 對於新竹清華大學與OVF、唐瑋女士之間的幾點質疑

The National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan
位於臺灣新竹的國立清華大學

It has come to our attention that one of the volunteer programs at the NTHU supported by the NYC is run by Ms. Joy Tang and her OneVilllageFoundation. This organisation is an international network with no legal body neither in Taiwan nor in the U.S. where it claims to be based. It therefore operates illegally. Furthermore, many of the projects run by the OVF in Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya) simply do not exist.
我們注意到了臺灣行政院青輔會在新竹清華大學的一個志工計畫，是由唐瑋女士 和她的OVF機構執行的。 OVF這個組織是一個沒有合法實體的國際性網路， 無論在臺灣或美國都沒有，雖然OVF宣稱自己是個美國機構。因此，它的運作並不合法。此外，很多OVF在非洲執行的計畫，實際上並不存在。  
Because the OVF is raising funds illegally, it has been reported to the IRS in the U.S. which are conducting an investigation. Furthermore, the OVF has strong links to the mafia and the Hell's Angels in the U.S. and because of extensive involvement with criminal organisations, the OVF and Joy Tang's associates in the U.S. are being investigated by the FBI. We are most concerned that Ms. Joy Tang is able to operate this international fraud out of Taiwan under an international cover, and that she is involving solid, reputable state institutions such as the Tsing Hua university in maintaining the illusion that the OVF is engaged in serious charity work.
由於OVF在非法募款，美國的國稅局(IRS,Internal Revenue Service)已經被報告此事而正展開調查。此外，OVF機構對於黑手黨及美國的飛車黨(Hell's Angels)的連結很強。廣泛涉入了犯罪組織，導致了OVF、唐瑋以及唐瑋的伙伴，正被聯邦調查局(FBI,Federal Bureau of Investigation)調查中。我們最在意的一件事，乃是唐瑋女士可以利用臺灣知名的國家機構，新竹清華大學，而透過臺灣呈現出一種國際化、嚴謹而正派的慈善工作機構的樣貌。     
We assume that the public institutions in Taiwan are unaware of this fact, or they would not engage in any partnership with an organisation that is operating illegally and engaged with other criminal organisations. Regarding the Tsing Hua university and their volunteer program run by Ms. Tang involving OVF's center in Ghana, we wonder what they had investigated and what they knew about the OVF and the activities of Mr. Kafui Prebbie (OVF representative in Ghana who runs his own business and is very much involved in fraudulent activities) beforehand.
我們依然假定臺灣的政府機構並不知道前述事實，否則他們不會和非法運作的組 織(這組織甚至還和犯罪組織有牽連)進行合作。看看新竹清大和他們由唐 瑋女士執行，在非洲迦納OVF機構的中心運作的志工計畫， 我們很好奇，新竹清大在計畫付諸實現之前，到底調查過了些甚麼？又對OVF機構和Mr. Kafui Prebbie瞭解多少(Mr. Kafui Prebbie是OVF在迦納的業務代表，但同時也經營自己的事業，他深深的涉入詐騙活動之中)

The NTHU student program to Ghana, partnering OVF

Specifically, we have the following questions that we feel need to be answered by the university:
明白的說，我們有以下幾個問題想請教新竹清華大學:   

1. Why was there no formal representative of NTHU accompanying Ms. Tang and the students to Ghana? 為何清華大學沒有正式的代表，隨著唐女士和學生赴迦納？
2. Is there any formal agreement between OVF and the NTHU? OVF與清華大學之間，有任何正式協議嗎？
3. The money that is raised by the students for the volunteer services, how is it handled? Do the students handle their own expenses or do they pass the funds on to Ms. Tang or Mr. Kafui Prebbie in Ghana? 因著志工服務所募得款項是如何處理？是學生自行運用呢？還是交給唐 女士或是迦納的Kafui Prebbie先生？
4. What kind of quality control does the NTHU apply with regard to their volunteer programs? 清華大學如何進行志工計劃的品質管制？
5. What information has the NTHU been given regarding OVF's operations in Ghana? Has any formal representative of NTHU ever visited the work in Ghana himself/herself? 有關OVF在迦納的運作，清華大學被告知了些什麼相關資訊？是否有 正式的代表親自去參訪過迦納那邊的工作？
6. How big is the Ghana program compared to the other volunteer programs at NTHU (Tanzania, Indonesia), and what is the size of the cost budget for Ghana per student compared with that of the other programs? 與清華大學其它的志工計畫〈如坦尚尼亞、印尼〉比較起來，迦納志工 計畫的大小如何？ 以平均每位學生所花預算來看，迦納計畫相較於其他志工計劃，又是如何？
7. How much financial support for the Ghana program is provided by the NTHU itself or channeled through the university and how is this money then accounted for? 對於迦納計劃，有多少財務支援是清華大學本身提供或是透過清華大學 的管道而取得？這筆錢之後是如何報帳？