I was a missionary for an organization called Heal the world in Africa for about a year. I taught English and paid people with with the money that the NGO sent. The "non profit founded by "John Roberts" was a nightmare. I was not sent money for food often, as a result I dropped so much weight I looked like a skeleton by the time I came home. I asked for more money for food while I was there, for myself and the Africans, but received excuse after excuse for why they could not send more, and how I should have gotten more aid from family and friends before I left. (even was sent contact lens but not food or money for it) I bathed with dish detergent and slept on a mattress on the floor in a house that the organization finally provided for me after the African family began to steal what little money I had and the organization thought them untrustworthy. Even after they stole, the organization wanted me to continue to live with them but I refused and cried on the phone with the president day after day saying that I needed to be sent home, that I needed another person there with me, another missionary and then I finally I was given a house.
The most disturbing part about working with the organization was the owner/founder John Roberts. He came to "visit" me while I was there and told me to "lay down on my mattres at night" so he could give me massages while we were in Africa! Yes while I was suppose to be a missionary. My response was "uh... Do you want one then?' I was dating an African man at the time named Antoine, but John Roberts deemed it "against the rules of his organization" for me to date later when I was found out. Yeah. I got complaint after complaint from the Africans, why is he here? Why is he sleeping in the same house as you? He can stay in our house etc. Etc. And Antoine was having a fit.
John's secretary, a girl named Lola had been incredibly hostile with me from the beginning of my involvement with the organization. (everyone back home had told me she was in love with him!???) I had complained about it a million times. Through email to the board members. Who never seemed to answer me. Then I realized that John had been filtering my messages to them, cuting and deleting parts about my complaints, yes, I saw one of the emails later, the ones about Lola especially because I had to send almost everything through him first. Yeah, again.
Finally when I got home, by the time I was having nightmares from both his guy and the horrible experiences I had been through actually in Africa, attacked there, robbed there, you name it. I had begged the organization not to send me home in the end. I was so afraid I would end up homeless on the streets when I returned to America. I had said I'll get a job in Africa first so I could save some money for going back home. But I was sent back. I'm glad I was actually in the end.
When I returned, I was broke, sickly and I was staying with some people in their house for free. Also when I got back another newer secretary, tried to tell me how insanely crazy she thought this guy John Roberts was. (already knew that, was all I thought). She also told me about her qualms about the girl Lola, She had suspected Lola had some type of romantic attachment to him and had had so many issues with any girl working near John. (yeah, knew that too) I was so brain dead at this point and tired and just trying to get a job and get my own apartment, that when I met with her, and she told me of how ridiculous the organization was run from even America, I shrugged and said "yeah I know", and left it at that, happy to be done with the whole ordeal. She was an angel in disguise though I realized later. I was too young at the time, too inexperienced in the ways of men like this to understand, sadly.
But then the strange part happened, this guy, the founder, John Roberts, contacted the people I was living with and started making various demands of how much I "liked" him. Right, was that before or after that I had been hired, by him, that I had supposedly had the crush on him, was all I kept saying. I thought I was done with this crap. And all the friends that I had told "uh... I think that organization is not to good" he had stated were bad people for me to be around. The people I lived with seemed to listen to him. Eventually I was kicked out of the house because of my disagreement about him and my friends. Later I reported everything to the Business Bureau. And filed several sexual harassment cases against John. I told John Roberts to lay off, or I would expose what he tried in other countries with his "missionaries". He didn't (leave me alone) though he had a fiance waiting for him in Singapore??? Why wasn't he worrying about her life? Instead of in America bothering me still? I did end up telling someone, I told the board member named Patrick and you know what he did? Didn't write me back. Like all the other times.
I still get messages from John Roberts even today - Why?
Please don't work for this organization. There is something very wrong with it.
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