When the U.K. Department for International Development, which aid officials often refer to as the “most scrutinized department in government,” overlooks an implementer’s widely reported ties to a cultlike organization, it begs the question: Are DfID’s compliance and transparency regulations asking enough of implementers?
Last week the BBC reported that the charity Development Aid from People to People Malawi — or Dapp Malawi — which has received more than $6 million in aid from the United Kingdom since 2012, forced its staff to give a portion of their salaries to the Teachers Group, a cultlike Danish organization whose leader is wanted by Interpol. The report has led many in the U.K. development community to ask how DfID, at the forefront of open data and transparency, could have failed to notice its grantee’s historic ties to a group long-accused of fraudulent activity, and if the aid donor’s due diligence processes are up to the task of avoiding similar situations in the future.
“I understand DfID is spending large amounts of money and can’t check all details of every grant, but you’d think they’d be able to check the legitimacy of the organization,” Rupert Simons, CEO of Publish What You Fund, said. “I’m surprised, especially when even a simple Google search shows that [Dapp] is an organization many people are asking questions about, and in at least one country prosecutions have been launched.”
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
