Internal report lays bare tensions within Gorta-Self Help Africa

A month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, concerns among a senior group of staff in Irish aid charity Gorta-Self Help Africa which had been building for months came to a head.

In a March 24th letter, seven staff made a joint complaint to Peter McDevitt, the charity’s chief finance and operations officer, stating they “no longer had confidence” in the chief executive, Ray Jordan. They said decisions had been taken which “break the ethos and policies of the organisation”, and were putting it at reputational and financial risk.

The charity, which supports small farmers in Africa, is the product of a merger between two development charities, Gorta and Self Help Africa, which took place in 2014.

The charity’s board appointed a barrister, Gearóid Ó Brádaigh, to conduct an internal investigation into the allegations. His report, which was completed last July and has been seen by The Irish Times, upheld a number of the complaints.

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Mr Jordan rejected all the complaints, which he told the barrister were a co-ordinated attempt to “destroy his good name”.

While misgivings had been growing among staff, concerns escalated when the charity decided to get involved in Ukraine following the Russian invasion last February.

[ Gorta-Self Help Africa wins €6.5m crop project in Kenya ]

The report said Mr Jordan saw the war “as an opportunity to build networks and increase the humanitarian profile” of the charity. Staff expressed concerns about the “ad hoc nature of the entire intervention”, which they felt left them open to “possible reputational damage”.

The report criticised Mr Jordan’s decision to travel to Ukraine “against best practice guidelines and without insurance”, which it said could “only increase foreseeable and unnecessary risk”.

Mr Jordan told the investigation he had “felt secure” crossing 2km into Ukraine, as the area had seen no fighting and he understood insurance was in place. He “accepted” that the organisation’s standard operating procedures “were not deployed” at the outset of its work in Ukraine.

Mr Ó Brádaigh found that the decision to get involved in Ukraine was Mr Jordan’s alone and was not authorised beforehand by the board. The report said the charity’s work in Ukraine “displayed problematic behaviours and decisions, and poor management”.

Staff raised concern over a decision to accept a donation of $300,000 from ATN, a US company that sells rifle scopes and night vision gear. They were concerned about “significant ethical and reputational issues” given the company had ties to the arms industry, and felt that taking the funds flew in the face “of the principle of NGO neutrality”.

Will Galvin, the then executive vice-president of Self Help Africa US, said the donation was for the charity’s work in Ukraine. He told the investigator the charity was under “no obligation” to inquire into donors’ political affiliations.

“Some of our largest donors here are strong Trump supporters, some of whom claim that President Biden stole the election – should SHA turn down their money?” he asked.

The report said the board should consider how the principle of NGO neutrality applied to the donation. However, the barrister said in the absence of specific policy and differing opinions on vetting of donors, he was “unable to make a definitive finding” about accepting the money.

The charity informed Irish Aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs’ international development programme, of the governance issues last September. It is understood that, following talks with department officials, the charity decided to return the donation.

One major point of tension with staff was the involvement of businessman Robert “Bob” Breen in the charity. He sat on the charity’s group board for a year until late 2020, and was appointed “honorary president” of its US affiliate. The report said there was a perception from senior staff that he had “promised a great deal, but has actually delivered nothing” for the charity.

His UK-based company, Breen Capital Ltd, lists its address as on a rural road outside the Welsh town of Fishguard.

Mr Jordan said Mr Breen was an “unorthodox” and “very private” individual, but his involvement with the charity was under the direction of the board. Staff, however, felt the businessman appeared to have an “undue influence” over Mr Jordan.

Gearóid Ó Brádaigh said the ‘inappropriateness’ of the Alex Hay correspondence appeared to have been missed by Ray Jordan

The barrister examined a July 2021 email from one of the businessman’s associates, Alex Hay, to the chief executive, ahead of him meeting the head of UK charity One Water.

Mr Jordan was asked to “get whatever you can” during the meeting, such as the charity’s “historic and forecast financials”. Mr Hay said this would allow Mr Breen to “get a real feel for the business and make a decision about its potential for Gorta”.

Mr Ó Brádaigh said the “inappropriateness” of the correspondence appeared to have been missed by Mr Jordan. He said at a minimum the email “begs the very obvious question as to what possible decision-making role for Gorta could Mr Breen purport to possess or exercise”.

Senior employees were “crystal clear” they did not wish to work with Mr Breen and felt he and Mr Hay had “overstepped”, the report said. Mr Jordan said the men had “done a tremendous amount of voluntary work” for the charity. Staff complained that the pair had been given Gorta Group email accounts, which the report agreed was “inappropriate”.

Mr Breen was also involved in setting up a partnership between the charity and US medical device manufacturer ExThera Medical, which staff felt was a “highly questionable long-shot”.

At a May 2020 board meeting, Mr Breen gave a presentation on Seraph 100, which he said was a new “life-saving” filtration device which removed viruses and bacteria from blood. The businessman told the board he was involved in building a manufacturing facility for the devices. It was proposed Gorta could become a distributor in Africa and Asia, which Mr Jordan said could sustain the charity’s financial future.

The board was positive about the potential income but had “reservations” as the charity had no expertise in medical device distribution. Directors said due diligence needed to be carried out on proposed partners ExThera Medical and Breen Capital. The minutes also noted “it was thought there may be a conflict of interest for Bob Breen”.

There’s a lot I don’t like about the Breen arrangement, but I’m just an adviser

—  Will Galvin, former executive vice-president, Self Help Africa US

The board gave Mr Jordan the go-ahead to draw up plans for the partnership and carry out due diligence. The following month, a for-profit company, Breen Gorta Health Ltd, was registered in the UK, without the board’s knowledge, the report said. An email from Mr Galvin said the board “were not pleased” when the members discovered the company.

“We are told (via Ray) that Bob incorporated it in anticipation of doing business re Seraph. He did not have our permission to use Gorta name,” he said. “There’s a lot I don’t like about the Breen arrangement, but I’m just an adviser.”

The report said Mr Jordan would not comment on the company’s incorporation filings, as he had not been sent them in advance. He told Mr Ó Brádaigh he “no hand, act or part” in the formation of any company.

It was “extraordinary” that the board and senior managers “would be kept in the dark of these developments”, it said. The company never traded, and was dissolved in late 2021.

The report said Mr Jordan “strenuously defended” the decision to get involved with Seraph, which had the “full and ongoing knowledge and approval of the board”. He added that the resources put into the project were “insignificant in the overall scheme of things”.

However, the barrister said it had a “very significant” negative impact on staff, who felt the project could “backfire on the organisation’s reputation in the long term”.

Mr Ó Brádaigh’s report upheld complaints about involvement in the Seraph project, as well as criticising the “questionable engagements” around Breen Gorta Health Limited. Mr Jordan left Gorta-Self Help Africa a number of months after the report was completed, and joined UK charity Penny Appeal as chief of international network late last year.

Neither Mr Jordan, Mr Breen nor Gorta-Self Help Africa responded to requests for comment.