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Africa Mercy: Hospital of hope

February 17, 2013 4:00 PM

The world's largest civilian hospital ship travels the west African coast, restoring sight to thousands and bringing smiles to faces once disfigured by tumors. Scot Pelley reports.

Africa Mercy: Hospital of hope

60 Minutes OverTimeRaising kids at sea: Meet the Parkers

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by integritycourage March 1, 2013 3:07 PM EST
In light of the eye-opening "ecclesiastical crime" statistics, I agree with previous comments that CBS would do a great service to the charities world and public by looking more closely at the question of funding when it comes to respected Christian or humanitarian organizations they promote through 60 Minutes. Nevertheless, I think that the main responsibility primarily clearly lies with the organizations themselves—both current and former Board members and staff.

It is also clear from these stats that all of us who donate to charities need to wake up to the realities of corruption and ask the hard questions of the organizations we support or endorse. I am doing what I can to "wake up" by learning about good governance in charities and the sick reality of corruption.

It appears from the comments in this stream that many people ARE asking the hard questions of Mercy Ships (and its founding organization, Youth With A Mission) with respect to a ponzi fraud, NCI KB, that have yet to be answered. I hope for their benefit, as well as for that of all charities, that they will respond with verifiable accountability and transparency. l so appreciate the work of dedicated humanitarian staff as well the plight of millions of fellow humans in need. But we've got to get it right—that is, the way we help and the way we fund such help.

Finally, I am encouraged by the instructive words of Bennis et al., in their book on organizational and leadership transparency (2008). Surely leaders in the Christian mission/charity world can take them to heart, and apply them diligently and courageously to their own organizations.

"The best way for leaders to start information flowing freely in their organizations is to set a good example. They must accept, even welcome, unsettling information. If leaders regularly demonstrate that they want to hear more than incessant happy talk, and praise those with the courage to articulate unpleasant truths, then the norm will begin to shift toward transparency. Transparency is one evidence of an organization's moral health." (Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor, p.42).
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by Odette611 February 27, 2013 5:56 PM EST
Living in a media world fueled by negativity and contempt, it was a delight to watch this uplifting segment on 60 Minutes. Thank you CBS for having the courage to produce an encouraging report on such a reputable organization.

It is evident that the leadership, staff, and crew of Mercy Ships have an incredible vision and mission to provide free health care for the poor. I am humbled by these volunteers who offer their skills and talents by bringing light and life to those who would otherwise succumb to preventable diseases. Their impact on these communities inspires me to get more involved!
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by integritycourage February 27, 2013 4:32 PM EST
"I know there is no such thing as corruption in the church or in the charities world, because I have personally given my money to the church and to charities for many years, plus I know that 'significant' entities have done likewise." This is strange and dangerous logic, whether talking about a broad sector or a specific organization. Johnson and Crossing estimate that 37 billion US dollars are stolen every year via "ecclesiastical crime" (2013, International Bulletin of Missionary Research). This does not mean of course that all churches or charities are involved in or experience fraudulent acts. Rather it clearly points to the dire need for ourselves and our organizations to develop the skills and tools, transparency and accountability, checks and balances, and above all personal integrity and courage in order to prevent, admit, and confront the massive menace of corruption in our midst. Wishful thinking does not work. Nor does looking the other way.

As Transparency International exhorts us, "It's time to wake up!"
Watch their one-minute video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43xUxOPxq3I

CBS, with all you experience and competencies, please help with a follow-up report!
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by petroswoods February 27, 2013 11:48 AM EST
As a long time supporter of Mercy Ships, I know that the Africa Mercy was funded entirely by significant foundations, major donors, companies, and thousands of individual donors around the world.

If someone wants to find a scandal close to Mercy Ships it is this- every day on the African continent thousands of children, women, and men suffer and die of preventable diseases and conditions. The crew, staff, and donors around the globe that constitute Mercy Ships give and work tirelessly to address the effects and the casuses of this tragic scandal.
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by WHEREdoesMONEYcomefrom February 25, 2013 5:16 PM EST
Well, I have done a little homework and here is some of what I've found. Founder, Don Stephens, has produced a book called Ships of Mercy. I have found a hard copy, but there is also a copy online: (http://www.mercyships.ca/uploads/media/Don_sBook.pdf) for those interested. This is about how the Mercy Ships organisation began. There are a lot of heart-warming stories. From these, I have noted financial facts. So far from my reading, I can see that $76M was obtained(pages in online book: 116, 121, 123)for set-up. That's a lot of money for Joanne (see DWEID below)! There is no mention of the origin of specific funds apart from a $4M named donation. I also found the google site, PETRA People (https://sites.google.com/site/petrapeople/), mentioned below and have had a look at this site, which mentions that Mercy Ships (and other organisations) has been asked whether it has benefited from a fraud called Nordic Capital Investments KB (NCI). There is mention of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in the book (p11-13) and so I looked at the history of YWAM (http://www.ywam.org/About-YWAM/Who-we-are/The-History-of-YWAM). I note the founder of Mercy Ships was a leader in Youth with a Mission for Europe, Middle East and Africa,and so I can see the link here. The PETRA People website mentions, and discloses, court documents relating to a fraud, NCI KB, which was promoted within YWAM (there was a comment by a member of YWAM, who is also mentioned in the fraud documentation, but it seems to have been removed). The petition mentioned in a below comment(http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/shine-the-light-together/) is requesting organisations who might have been affected by the fraud to disclose financial information, one of which is Mercy Ships. It seems the peak of the fraud is timely with Mercy Ships' matching grant of $10M (p123) being achieved in 2004. I note on p205-207 of the founder's book, Appendix 1, that Mercy Ships subscribes to Accountability and Governance, yet I have not found these terms on the website. Has anyone else? I will keep on reading...
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by rwinestock February 25, 2013 12:24 PM EST
While positive effect is not to be overlooked, ironically, some of the money earned for this charity have come from ill-gotten gains tapped from life savings and only source of future support of the very workers that, without their life sacrifice and unselfish contributions, all of this would not be possible. Investigate NCI and the European branch of YWAM because they actively participated in this scheme, somehow justifing that it was OK because the money was going for a good cause despite the fact it was lining the pockets of thieves. Good reporting doesn't just win headlines, it helps people get their lives and what has been stolen from them when they can no longer help themselves. I trust you will consider this angle and expose NCI and all the Madoff-style co-conspirators.
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by petrapeople February 24, 2013 2:55 PM EST
*****To clarify ways to help, here are two quotes from the Shine the Light—Together petition (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/shine-the-light-together/).

*****"In light of the Swedish court documents, we are publicly calling for...organizations to provide assistance by reviewing and disclosing how NCI has affected them. We are also asking them to review how they have responded to the NCI matter thus far. Authorizing independent and internal reviews is strongly encouraged. It is not helpful to simply try to "move on" and leaders and members are urged now to hold their organizations accountable. There is much to learn and many ways to help. We urge organizations affected by NCI to emulate the organizations in the "United Response" to the New Era Scandal: be transparent, accountable and cooperate to return money."

*****"4. Mercy Ships International (based in Texas USA and including Mercy Ships in the UK, Switzerland, and France). An Austrian court document from 2001 and other Swedish documents indicate that Mercy Ships (part of YWAM until 2003) was to benefit from NCI funds related to a three million US dollar transaction that was frozen by the Austrian government in November 2001. [It was supposedly to be used as a guarantee for a 100 million dollar loan from ABN-Amro bank.] How does this transaction and other NCI-related money flows relate to this respected organization and especially the refitting of the African Mercy hospital ship, including a $10 million USD matching grant (matched between 2002-2004)? Docs: See the "NCI Documents" section on the PETRA People web site, and then open up the "Austria case" folder in the attachments."
(https://sites.google.com/site/petrapeople/)
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by learningfromhistory February 24, 2013 6:58 AM EST
Where does money come from for charities and how is it actually used? We can all keep learning from history. For example, it is public knowledge that many organizations, including Mercy Ships (when it was part of Youth With A Mission), were investors in the Foundation for New Era Philanthropy scheme in the early 1990's. This scheme was determined in US courts to be a ponzi fraud, taking in at least 400 million dollars. Mercy Ships was one of the "net-positive" organizations. Several organizations (Mercy Ships too?) were part of the "United Response" to New Era through which they transparently disclosed net gains and losses and sought to voluntarily return stolen monies that were given to them. Perhaps organizations affected by the current NCI fraud mentioned in the comments can do the same? See Christianity Today article for more info on the New Era fraud: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1997/october27/7tc86a.html
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by dweid February 23, 2013 1:26 PM EST
Wow. Heart-warming story and beautifully done.
As a Jesus-follower and pastor, I was looking for the motivation. What inspires these people to make what we might call a sacrifice to serve people that most of us are content to not see or care about? You answered my questions. I thought CBS & Scot Pelley handled the religious angle with sensitivity.
I shared the story with a friend and read a few comments to her - like a few along the lines of "where does the money come from." She said, "it comes from me! I've been supporting Mercy Ships a long time."
So, there's your answer - Joanne. The money comes from Joanne.
Keep up the good work - all of you who support Mercy Ships and CBS.
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by hollislewis February 23, 2013 10:47 AM EST
I encourage CBS to look more closely to the issue of where the money comes from. Unfortunately Mercy Ships may have been the beneficiary of a fraudulent investment scheme that stole the life savings from many innocent investors. If this is true, how does it comport with the benevolent mission of this organization?
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