Mission Fund denies alleged misuse of funds in Tanzania project

Leading missionary organisation Mission Fund has denied allegations that it had abused funds allocated to it for a project in Tanzania. 

The foreign affairs ministry had in November last year been warned that a building that was intended to house paramedics and doctors – for which the Mission Fund was granted €42,500 in public funds for overseas assistance in 2015 – turned out to be nothing less than an extension to a convent. 

The building in question forms part of a large hospital complex in Makiungu that is run by Sister Maria Borda, a Maltese gynaecologist who has been working in Tanzania since 1984 and who forms part of the Medical Missionaries of Mary – a Catholic organisation for nuns qualified in health care. Indeed, the hospital is staffed by several MMM sisters from Malta, Tanzania and Nigeria as well as several local health workers.

In August 2015, a group of Maltese volunteers flew to Tanzania for five weeks to help in the construction of “staff houses for health professionals”, the third of Mission Fund’s projects in that hospital since 2010. 

Yet emails seen by MaltaToday show that the international development directorate had been warned that the project description turned out to be deceptive. 

“I have been to Makiungu and have verified myself that the building which was meant to house paramedics and doctors is nothing else but an extension to the convent housing the MMM sisters,” the email reads. 

The directorate dismissed this allegation, telling its sender that not enough evidence had been provided to substantiate such allegations. 

Mission Fund secretary John Sammut, who was a member of the delegation to Tanzania, vehemently denied the allegation that the building was an extension to a convent. 

“The staff house is a building in and of itself and forms part of a large hospital complex that includes wards, X-Ray rooms, a pharmacy and a laboratory,” he told MaltaToday. “The staff house was built to accommodate health professionals, the vast majority of whom are nuns with the Medical Missionaries of Mary, who are all health professionals.”

A Church spokesperson also denied that it had received any allegations about the misuse of funds in the Tanzania project, or that an investigation had been launched into the issue.

Right of reply

With reference to your report of 26 February, 2017 (‘Mission Fund denies alleged misuse of funds in Tanzania project’), in 2015, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs co-financed a project proposed by the Mission Fund: ‘Increasing Free Health Services in the Singida District, Tanzania’.

The project involved the building of a hygienic residence for medical staff, making it more attractive for the Medical Missionaries of Mary to recruit urgently required medical professionals and therefore enabling the hospital to accept more patients. The report submitted by the Mission Fund shows that the project was concluded in line with its objectives.

On 20 October, 2016, a person who wished to remain anonymous, but identified himself with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, alleged with officials from the International Development Directorate that there has been a misappropriation of funds concerning the Missions Fund project mentioned above. The ministry requested evidence from the person to substantiate his allegations.

On 3 November, 2016, the person in question emailed the ministry informing that together with three other persons he should be going to Makiungu, Tanzania, for missionary purposes and to confirm his allegations himself.

On 24 January 2017, the same person emailed the ministry via the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations informing that he had travelled to Makiungu, Tanzania, and again alleging that he had verified for himself that the building which was meant to house paramedics and doctors was an extension of the convent housing the nuns. However, again no evidence was provided to substantiate his allegations.

In its reply to the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, the ministry informed that in the absence of evidence that substantiates the allegations, which the ministry repeatedly requested, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is unable to take the matter forward. Should evidence be produced, the ministry would then be in a better position to seek to corroborate such allegations.

Etienne St. John
Communications Coordinator
Ministry for Foreign Affairs