http://www.hr-online.de/website/radio/hr-info/index.jsp?rubrik=21024&key=standard_teaser_34582570&mediakey=radio/hr-info/thema/20080627_tt_Tansania&type=a

Unter dem obigen Link erweckt OKR Martin - Mitarbeiter der Bayrischen Evangelischen Kirche - im Radiointerview den Anschein, dass der Fall von Unterschlagung und Diebstahl von Spendengeldern in der Tansanischen Kirche nur das Bulongwa Krankenhaus betrifft.

(Diese "Einzelfallthese" wird in diesem Fall auch von Transparency International bemüht - TI macht mit den betroffenen Werken seit einigen Wochen immer wieder Seminare zur "Korruptionsproblematik" in der kirchlichen EZA, was meiner Meinung nach von den wahren Problemen ablenkt. Von Diebstählen, Menschenrechtsverletzungen, von den unter der Willkür gestorbenen und leidenden Afrikanern, der fehlenden Rechenschaftslegung, dem völligen Fehlen von Transparenz und der unrichtigen und falschen Information der Spender und den kausalen Zusammenhängen und folgenden Verantwortlichkeiten der Geber aus dem Norden, wird dort nicht sehr viel gesprochen).

Es ist nicht richtig, dass dieser Fall "nur" das Bulongwa Krankenhaus betrifft!

Was allerdings in diesem Fall besonders tragisch ist, ist, dass in Folge der Geschichte mit ziemlicher Sicherheit mehrere 100 HIV/AIDS Kranke und andere Patienten zu Schaden gekommen oder gar gestorben sind! Das stellt für mich als Arzt das eigentliche Problem dar. (Das interessiert aber die Kirche offensichtlich nicht - man hat nie auf Hinweise reagiert und die Schutzbefohlenen im Stich gelassen - HIV/AIDS Advocacy gibt es nur, wenn Kritik nicht die Kirche selbst betrifft und sich damit Spendengelder sammeln lassen).

Die Mission EINE Welt aus Bayern - die unter den Einflussbereich von OKR Martin fällt - das NMZ (Hamburg), die KPS (Sachsen) und viele andere Werke aus Deutschland sind alle im LMC (Lutheran Mission Cooperation/Tansania) vertreten (http://www.lmc.or.tz/members.html#northern), darunter auch der EED (dessen Vorsitzender auch im Beirat von Transparency International sitzt http://www.transparency.de/Beirat.53.0.html).
Im LMC werden am jährlichen "Runden Tisch" mit den Vertretern der ELCT http://www.elct.org/ die Gelder der Werke ("Northern Partners") verteilt und die sogenannten Finanzberichte entgegengenommen.

Im Bericht des LMC von 2006 heißt es auf Seite 199 (siehe dazu auch mein ausführlicher Blog Eintrag vom November 22, 2007 - Faksimile können zur Verfügung gestellt werden und die vollständigen Berichte der letzten Jahre sind bei den Werken sicher sehr einfach auf Anfrage zu erhalten):

"Out of 32 audited financial statements audited (Anm: der verschiedenen Dözesen aus dem ganzen Land) and issued draft or final reports, 16 (50%) received unqualified report and 16 (50%) received qualified report.

Most of the dioceses and Institutions did not include the fixed assets revalued during the year 2003, and those acquired during the year under review hence qualified opinion was issue.
Also some Institutions received qualified opinion because some of the current assets and liabilities were not confirmed due to the absence of audit evidence"

Vor allem die letzten unklaren Sätze lassen noch Schlimmeres vermuten und es nimmt Wunder, dass die Missionsdirektoren und Oberkirchenräte offensichtlich die Berichte des LMC nicht kennen, obwohl ihre Vertreter dort mit Sitz und Stimme und an führender Stelle sitzen (LMC Associate Chairperson ist Pastor Manfred Scheckenbach, Afrikasekretär der Mission EINE Welt/Bayern).

Es ist dazu auch zu sagen, dass es sich hier nur um kircheninterne Buchprüfungen (also keinesfalls unabhängige Prüfungen!) handelt und nur etwa die Hälfte der Projekte und Diözesen überhaupt untersucht wurden. Zum Teil fehlen Finanzberichte seit Jahren und Prüfungen fanden mit jahrelanger Verzögerung statt. Somit sind ungefähr 25% der vorhanden Projekte und Diözesen laut kircheninternen Untersuchungen angeblich in Ordnung und haben einen Prüfungsvermerk erhalten.

Es gibt keine Prüfungen nach internationalen Standards, auch wenn das die Kirche behauptet. Es gibt keine externe Überprüfung. (Ausser für 2003/2004 in Makete/Bulongwa)

Unvollständige und unrichtige Buchführung sind in Deutschland und Tansania strafbare Delikte.

Es ist weiters unwahr, dass alle Zahlungen nach dem Bekanntwerden der kriminellen Finanzgebarung der Diözese, gestopp wurden.
Aus den Töpfen des LMC, in die auch die Mission EINE Welt, die KPS, das NMZ und viele andere Werke aus der ganzen Welt einzahlen, sind auch nach dem (offiziellen!) Bekanntwerden, der Skandale in Makete noch weiter Gelder geflossen. Zum Beispiel für die Anschaffung eines Gelädewagens für den später abgewählten Bischof. (siehe dazu http://www.mbogela.blogspot.com/)

Wie viele Gelder in jene Tansanischen Diözesen geflossen sind, in denen in den letzten Jahren Bischöfe wegen Korruption und Vorwürfen von Kriminalität, abgesetzt wurden, diese Information bleibt OKR Martin schuldig.

Dazu OKR Martin in der FR vom 28. Juni: (http://www.fr-online.de/in_und_ausland/politik/aktuell/?sid=500256071c7fcc759dcd5d8c2477f551&em_cnt=1358515&em_cnt_page=2):

""Das ist ein Riesenproblem", sagt der Oberkirchenrat der bayerischen Landeskirche. "Wir haben auch eine Verantwortung gegenüber den Spendern." Doch die Korruption sei in der Entwicklungshilfe alltäglich. In den vergangenen Jahren seien in Tansania fünf Bischöfe wegen Misswirtschaft abgewählt worden. "Das gehört zu unserer ständigen Arbeit", so Martin. Für die Kirchenoberen in Afrika sei es "eine Riesenversuchung, wenn sie plötzlich Projektmittel in Millionenhöhe erhalten". Oft würden Summen abgezweigt, um Bekannte zu versorgen."

Zitat ende---------------

Im Übrigen bin ich der Meinung, dass die für Korruptionsfinanzierung und fehlende Rechenschaftslegung zuständigen Missionssekretäre in Europa zurücktreten müssen und die Finanzgebarung auch der kirchlichen Entwicklungshilfe in Europa und Tansania vollkommen offengelegt werden muss und für Diebstähle, Korruption und Spendengeldemisswirtschaft Verantwortliche in Tansania und in anderen Ländern zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden müssen.

http://www.rainerbrandl.at/

leads to the report of the successfull, community based HIV/AIDS treatment programm in Bulongwa/Makete.

Though the Programm saved the lives of many and was highly apprechiated by the local community, it was shut down and its staff was locked out without any given reason. Many patients were denied treatement for several days. After re-opening the clinic, treatment and prevention never reached the same quality of pre-lockout times. Subsequently, this costed many life years.

The obviously well planned move of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania - by itself violating the human rights of patients and community memebers - follwed the announcement of local community representatives and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), who announced to protest against the theft of funds (several 100 Million Tanzanian Shillings) originally designated for the good use in Bulongwa Hospital, or for development- and spirtual work in Makete Diocese. Up to date nobody knows where this money went.

Following the distortion of the successful treatment programm - which also seems connected to procurement scandals in the Ministry of Health of Tanzania - probably many 100 patients died a preventable death. Lack of monitoring of treatment and side effects and - more importantly - the tremendous slow down in patients-uptake for the life saving Antiretroviral treatment contributed to that, as it probably did the severe psychological stress on the patients.

Several international studies can prove these statements form a general point of view and more importantly it can be proven by very recent data from the district.

Instead of protecting the innocent victims of corruption and the lives of the patients, several representatives from the Lutheran Church World-family, mainly from Tanzania and Germany went on blaming "foreing forces" trying to damage the Lutheran Church. At the same time and up to this day Church officers are going on to protect the thieves and/or responsible staff in their own ranks.

It might be worth noting, that the ELCT (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania) and also the presiding Lutheran Bishop of Germany were repeatedly presenting themselves as crusaders and moral authorities in the fight against graft all over the world.

The log in the eye of the Lutheran Church is costing the lives of many innocent humans, who did nothing else than getting up to demand their human right for treatment and the correct use of ressources, which were donated for the developent of their burdened community!

They came accross a church who betrayed them and is still unsing donor money and church ressources to spread rumors, giving out wrong statements and who obviously tries to silence the voice of the poor and the community.

The stories of the poor are frequently used as a reason to collect monies from small donors. These ressources are very often not reaching the poor or - even worse - are used to suppress them and to indirectly kill them.

Obvioulsy the donor agencies lack any kind of monitoring systems, benchmarks or any will to openly and transparently document success and/or failure of the use of ressources.

Offener Brief

Sg. Bischof Dr. Bünker,

Ich habe Ihnen und vielen Menschen an verantwortlicher Stelle in der Lutherischen Kirche ausführlich dargelegt, dass durch die gewalttätige Aussperrung des EAWM Programms zur HIV/AIDS Behandlung in Tansania Anfang 2006 und durch das fortlaufende Verschwinden von Geldern in der Lutherischen Kirche in Tansania Menschen physisch zu Schaden kommen.

Sie haben jede Mitverantwortung für die Taten der lokalen Partnerkirche und für die Verwicklung von Ihren Partnern aus anderen europäischen Kirchen (EED, NMZ, "Bayrische Mission") abgelehnt und in mir den Eindruck erweckt, dass Ihnen das Sterben der Menschen in Afrika in diesem Fall nicht so wichtig ist.
Diese Menschen sterben in Folge des eigenen Aufbegehrens gegen die Unterschlagungen von Geldern durch die lokale Lutherische Kirche. Diese Gelder wurden der Kirche ursprünglich zum Wohl und zur Rettung der Armen und Kranken anvertraut. Diese Schutzbefohlenen haben gegen ein Unrecht protestiert und sind vielfach mit Leid und Tod bestraft worden.

Ich denke, dass es keine Rechtfertigung für die Respektlosigkeit des Nichthandelns gibt. Gerade Sie oder andere leitende Mitglieder Ihrer Kirche müssten, abgeleitet aus Ihren eigenen Forderungen an die Welt, die Menschen in Tansania aus christlicher Schwestern- und Bruderliebe ausdrücklich und deutlich in Schutz nehmen.

Offensichtlich fällt es Ihnen und vielen anderen Bischöfen und Mitarbeitern Ihrer Kirche besonders schwer, sich dann gegen Unrecht einzusetzen, wenn es in der eigenen Weltkirche passiert.

Diese Gewalt gegen ein erfolgreiches Program zur HIV/AIDS Behandlung kostet internationalen wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten zur Folge viele Lebensjahre! Es sterben aufgrund der schlechteren Qualität der Behandlung nach der Aussperrung durch eine kriminelle Kirche in diesen Tagen weiter Menschen!

Ich fordere Sie auf, nach Jahren des Schweigens, endlich in der richtigen Art und Weise tätig zu werden. Ich fordere die völlige Aufklärung und den Schutz meiner Patienten.

Rainer Brandl

The Lutheran Church is still deeply involved in criminality and the death of innocent patients and poor community members!

Anonymous said... "Is there really evidence for a change ? Have the culprits of the embezzlements in ELCT/SCD to face legal action ? Have the Mission societies from abroad changed their behavior and do they follow up the active involvement of German "missionaries" in stealing, hiding and blaming ? 6:41 PM"


Dear Anonymous! (as always I would prefer to talk to people who have a name)

The former bishop of SCD (Shadrack Manyiewa), who was cast out by his own people is crying now?



It is a new lie of the Lutheran Church spread in the ELCT press release saying that this bishop retired!


He obviously cries now in public because he lost his power. Anyway, still it is not clear where all the money went and this has to be found out: Did he personally benefit here or not ? Many said he does.


Many of those clergy and church employees, who cry and blame others for being harassed have probably well equipped bank accounts or benefit in another way, like having well paid jobs while "working for the poor". Where has all the money gone...? How were all the resources spent?


The alleged bishop was sent away by his own people (in his diocese in 2003 and 2004 several 100 Million TSH were not used correctly or had dissapeared). The democratic move followed the activities of PIUMA, supported by many community members and some members of the local church counsel.
This was a brave step! A powerful bishop and the criminal diocese were supported by missions and ELCT since. Still the bishop is well protected by those in the Lutheran Church, who don't care about the poor, but protect their own brothers in the cloth for whatever cost and again by using donor and church money and it is unlikely that this is the intended use for the funds..
ELCT and missions from Germany (KPS, Mission Center ONE world and NMZ) are inventing stories and are spreading rumors since many months and years now. They go on saying that I (or any other foreigner (?)) had demanded the resignation of an African bishop. They used and are using these self-serving lies to prepare an unhealthy soil in order to protect the bishops and to prevent their own involvement and that of the entire Tanzanian Lutheran Church (ELCT) from legal action. They try to hinder moves towards justice for the betrayed poor.


Any demand towards responsibility and consequences is called "foreign intervention" which could "damage the church" and can therefore not be accepted. This is a very awkward strategy on the back of the fomerly voiceless and poor who got up and spoke out.


At the same time and up to these days, it is these overseas missions who are going on to intervene in foreign countries "from outside" by pouring monies into corrupt churches, which frequently frustrate and kill citizens (e.g. in Tanzania) and keep the poor dependent. Is this a strategy of some colonial remnants? To keep control and influence for the Lutheran Church at every cost!


My opinion since ever: Independent commissions and legal systems (they are slowly built up in Tanzania now) have to clear the situation at SCD and the media have to report balanced stories and control the impartiality of investigations. These can in no case be carried out by "internal" church commissions (sometimes even led by foreigen missionaries like e.g. Pastor Hofgren from Sweden, who have a lot to hide).


Following the outcome of these investigations, the ones who are connected to the theft have to be taken to court and the money has to be recovered! It can in no case be a matter of discussion, if the involved are bishops or other church or government officials, foreign missionaries or expats - it does not matter! All are human beings and have a right of a fair trial, even these "VIPs!"
It has to be cleared, if and who is found guilty for having contributed to the frauds and the subsequent death of innocent poor whose funds were stolen. The exploitation of these innocent, whose burdensome lives are frequently only used to advertise in Europe or the US in order to raise more funds, has to stop for now and ever!


In these weeks and days, the involved missions and European churches are again giving out false statements on their WebPages and try again and again to mislead the European public. They say that the whole case of the SCD/ELCT has been solved, the church needs reconsiliation and the responsible were taken to court. Missions have announced to "help" Bulongwa Hospital again, stating that everything has been sorted out!


This is not true at all! These public statements are not true!


There is still no accountability and there are no closed books since many years in many dioceses of ELCT throughout Tanzania. Nobody can follow up what happened with the monies. There are several cases of severe criminal allegations in different dioceses. They were always solved "internally" and the guilty were pardoned. The Tanzanian press reported.



1) The whereabouts of the stolen funds are still unknown! The thefts are clearly documented in the only (!) external audit (2003/2004) and in many statements of Mr. Rayben Sanga (FCPA, Dar es Salaam) sent to missions and to ELCT audit department. The errant money is still in the hands of the thieves and could be used for everything else (like e.g. bribing others) but surely not for the benefit of the poor.


2) Responsible church officers (stolen car, stolen funds) have been reportedly transferred to other posts at ELCT institutions, somewhere else in Tanzania and were certainly not taken out (as said in the public mission statements) - sometimes they were given even better posts. The "new" BLH manager is said to be a former SCD/ELCT project manager. He was working at the diocese headquarters when funds disappeared - he is now awarded by being given the post of the hospital manager.
(All of the ELCT institutions are at least partly financed by overseas missions, who are voting members in the LMC -Lutheran Missions Cooperation of Tansania http://www.lmc.or.tz/ . They are sitting on the so called round table together with ELCT bishops and church leaders. This happens at least in a yearly schedule but sometimes when there is a "crises" - donor and church money is spent to fly up and down to "manage" it.)


3) It stays a miracle what LMC (Lutheran Missions Cooperation in Tanzania) vice chairman and Africa director of the Mission ONE World in Bavaria - Pastor Manfred Scheckenbach - means, by publicly saying, that the SCD (South Central Diocese) made plans to pay the debts back and can therefore be supported again by NMZ/KPS and Mission ONE World.
(It seems there are somewhere funds (given by whom again?) designated to pay back the "debts"? Does he mean the stolen funds here? Are the stolen funds called debts now? Will the missions again and again cover these debts...? This is a funny support! Is this what the church calls developing aid?)


4) The services for the HIV/AIDS patients in Bulongwa are still very poor compared to former times, when EAWM and MSF were supporting the CTC at Bulongwa Hospital! After the lock out many PLWHA died. A recent Swedish study confirms this.



The bishop always cried to make the others feeling bad! He tries to play victim again! I know that. He cried in front of me several times.


The man who is responsible for the death of many patients cries now! Some may feel pity with him. But nobody in the church (including the Austrian presiding bishop Dr. Michael Bünker) feels that it would be important to protect the people who suffered under the criminal church. Since many years, resources - given by well meaning Christians - desiganted for the uplift of the poor, were stolen under this Lutheran African bishop and "brother" of the pastors and bishops in the international brotherhood of the church. ELCT and the supporting "Northern Partner" (missions) know this very well and are responsible.
Nevertheless, they still show an attitude of putting "the benefit of the church" (obviously they mean its leadership and therefore themselves?) above the fate and live of the simple African pesant, the community, the African village ethics and the live of patients and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).


For the sake of transparency and in order to enable donors in Europe to make contributions under informed consent (and not based on lies spread in press releases of the Lutheran church world), thus, carefully supporting the right use of money, which otherwise could become a dangerous tool of supression and frustration: The public has to be informed about the theft of many 100.000 of Euros in the ELCT (Tanzanian Lutheran Church) and also about the right or wrong use of all the project monies. Only this would support development by effective use of ressources.

Churches, like every religious group (or any other group or association in the world) are interacting with the whole society and can therfore not act like black boxes without showing accountability or transparency in case they are involved in criminal vices!


Comprehensive independent (!) audits in Tanzania and Germany, Scandinavia and the US (i.e. of the missions, or any "Northern partner") have to be carried out in order to confirm, that it is true that "every single cent" has been used in the right way. Overseas northern missions and other NGOs have to publish their projects and the amount of funds transferred to other countries and they have to proof that these funds have helped and NOT destroyed societies and that it is sure, that these funds did in NO case contribute to the frustration of the honest African folks.


If it turns out that money went wrong in that sense, the mission directors have to resign and have to be held responsible.
The missions, NGOs and donors have to appologize and compensate (not necessarily by money) the people who had suffered under the local corrupt and criminal elites. These criminal elites were made possible by supporting them through uncontrolled, unaccounted money.

YES SIR. THANK VERY MUCH FOR YOUR MAIL WITH CHALLENGING WORDS, BUT I THINK THE UKINGA LAND PEOPLE ARE GRADUALLY CHANGING.

THIS IS PROVED BY THE 25TH,MAY,2008 EVENT AT MAKETE WHWRE BY I WITINNESSED MANYIEWA CRYING BEFORE MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE WHO CAME FOR THE CONSECRATION EVENT FOR THE NEW BISHOP KNOWN AS MWAKABANA THE MAN WHO CONTROLLED THE PROBLEMS HAPPENED TO DAR - DIOCESE.

I THINK THIS CAN BE THE EFFECT OF PIUMA AND ANGER OF PEOPLE AGAINST CORRUPTION DONE BY SOME STANIC FOLLOWERS. I HOPE MORE CHANGES FOR BETTER.