Oxfam Scandal: Aid Worker Reveals Haiti Had "Party Atmosphere"

12 February 2018, 14:23

This is the remarkable call from an aid worker who was in Haiti after the devastating earthquake and saw the scandal engulfing Oxfam unfolding in front of him.

Alleged misconduct by former Oxfam staff members included the use of prostitutes, downloading pornography, bullying and intimidation.

The charity said that all the perpetrators were either sacked or resigned.

Henry called from Kingston to tell James O'Brien that he witnessed charity workers paying for sex and described the atmosphere among aid workers as a party - despite the earthquake killing 220,000 locals.

He said: "I was in Haiti a few weeks after the earthquake happened, out there supporting the NGO [Non-Governmental Organisation] and the UN. I spent three months in Port-au-Prince.

"I got first-hand experience of how some of these organisations operate and how they put their feet up in the evening.

"Eight weeks after being there, a bar opened in Port-au-Prince and this is where a lot of the NGOs used to congregate.

"I saw the things Oxfam executives have been accused of. We're talking prostitution. The owner used to bring the girls in from neighbouring Dominican Republic.

"One night, I was coming out of the bar with a Logistics Manager from a UK-based NGO. We were taking the guy back to his offices, when he picked up a local lady on the street."

Henry said the reason she was on the street was because she had lost her house in the earthquake.

He admitted he didn't report any of these incidents because he didn't want to lose his career in the industry.

He also said it had turned him away from the charities like this. He added: "My mum works for a special needs school and they had a fundraising event. She gave me £250 to give to a local NGO.

"But I came back with that £250 in my pocket because I didn't see any of the organisations out there fit enough to use this money."

Summing up his experience in Haiti, he said: "Port-au-Prince was a massive market to make money and it was almost a party atmosphere."