Transcript 1

Transcript of news item, BBC TV Look North, Friday 7th January 2000

Newsreader: Seven students have left a controversial college in East Yorkshire following concerns about the organisation.  The College for International Cooperation and Development is run by a Danish charity called Tvind which is recognised as a cult by some countries.   Our education correspondent Liz Meech reports.

Liz Meech:  A Danish charity called Tvind has been at Winestead Hall for 12 years. For ten of those it ran a school for children with behaviour problems, but was closed down two years ago because of financial irregularities.  A year ago it set up a new venture, the College for Cooperation and Development, and advertised for young people worldwide to do voluntary work in Africa.  Nick Moss from Hull went to Angola with high hopes, but returned disillusioned with the organisation.

Nick Moss:  The sad thing is that at the end of the day we were unable to achieve what we hoped to achieve because...the project I worked with for example was completely underfunded.   I wasn't given the money to work with, to do good things in Africa, in spite of all the fundraising and all the money I put into the organisation.

Meech:   His and other former members' concerns were posted on the Internet over Christmas.  That dossier caused alarm among families who flew from Sweden and Germany to take their young relatives away from the college.

Uwe Pickhan   They get an education here, for about six months, and then they have to go to Angola or Mozambique... and there are people gave statements on the Internet, they have been there, and, there is  no medical care, no one would help you there, you can't phone or contact your relatives...and....you can get ill.

Simone Pickhan     We got a lot of general information about the organisation but what was the most scary thing was .....

Meech:   Three students left last night.  Four more are leaving today.   I went into the college and spoke to the two people in charge.   Neither of them would comment about the students leaving the organisation but they  were at pains to stress that there were a number of young people who had had a very successful time in Africa as development workers.  But with only four students left at the college, its long-term future must now be in doubt.