Lironga hits back, lies low

LIRONGA Eparu, a leading HIV-AIDS charity, has denied that its three top personnel earn a combined N$80 000 a month, but has refused to reveal the salaries they are paid.

In a paid advertisement in today’s newspaper, the organisation of people living with HIV and AIDS claims that the rumours about mismanagement and over-the-top salaries at the organisation were being spread by a disgruntled former staff member out to destroy Lironga Eparu. At the time, the organisation was given the best part of a week to respond to the claims, but declined.Meanwhile, a subsequent press conference to address concerns, scheduled for this week, was called off.Instead the organisation has placed the advertisement.”This information became seriously disturbing to the entire movement of people living with HIV-AIDS,” the advertisement says.A week ago, The Namibian reported that outrageous salaries and poor management were crippling the effectiveness of the country’s biggest organisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.Sources said the top three people earn N$37 000, N$25 000 and N$18 000 a month while some HIV-positive mothers who are members of the organisation’s ‘Orange Baby Support Group’, are forced to share milk formula with their babies because of hunger.They said consultants easily walk away with up to N$35 000 after a training session or workshop for members and that the organisation was losing direction and purpose.The statement said a task force was appointed to help transform the organisation and a human resource consultant was asked to draft job descriptions, to conduct a market survey on the salary scales of other non-governmental organisations in the country and to come up with the findings for implementation.”As alluded in The Namibian newspaper dated August 10 2007, that the top three managers earn N$37 000, N$25 000 and N$18 000 a month is incorrect and not accurate, as these managers are receiving less than the above-mentioned figures.Lironga Eparu has taken a conscious decision not (to) reveal individual salaries but the fact is, no one gets such an amount in the organisation so far,” the statement said.According to the statement, consultancy rates that Lironga Eparu pay range from N$1 500 to N$3 500 a day and not N$35 000 per session.The organisation also denied that HIV-positive mothers were sharing milk formula with their babies.”The allegations made about mothers and babies sharing milk are untrue and unfounded, as documentations and records of distribution are available at Lironga Eparu’s offices for verification,” it said.According to the statement, Lironga Eparu’s books are clean because they have been audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers since 1999 and no irregularities or mismanagement had ever been reported.Newspaper reports did not allude to fraud, but rather alleged imbalances in terms of payments and scales of priority.”All the audit reports are available for public scrutiny.The 2007 audit is currently under way and it will also be made available for interested parties,” the statement said.Recently the organisation’s financial manager, Peter Iitai, was arrested for fraud.Lironga Eparu said Iitai was attached to the organisation by one of the donors, and Police investigations were continuing.”The working environment is conducive at Lironga Eparu.”At the time, the organisation was given the best part of a week to respond to the claims, but declined.Meanwhile, a subsequent press conference to address concerns, scheduled for this week, was called off.Instead the organisation has placed the advertisement.”This information became seriously disturbing to the entire movement of people living with HIV-AIDS,” the advertisement says. A week ago, The Namibian reported that outrageous salaries and poor management were crippling the effectiveness of the country’s biggest organisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.Sources said the top three people earn N$37 000, N$25 000 and N$18 000 a month while some HIV-positive mothers who are members of the organisation’s ‘Orange Baby Support Group’, are forced to share milk formula with their babies because of hunger.They said consultants easily walk away with up to N$35 000 after a training session or workshop for members and that the organisation was losing direction and purpose.The statement said a task force was appointed to help transform the organisation and a human resource consultant was asked to draft job descriptions, to conduct a market survey on the salary scales of other non-governmental organisations in the country and to come up with the findings for implementation.”As alluded in The Namibian newspaper dated August 10 2007, that the top three managers earn N$37 000, N$25 000 and N$18 000 a month is incorrect and not accurate, as these managers are receiving less than the above-mentioned figures.Lironga Eparu has taken a conscious decision not (to) reveal individual salaries but the fact is, no one gets such an amount in the organisation so far,” the statement said.According to the statement, consultancy rates that Lironga Eparu pay range from N$1 500 to N$3 500 a day and not N$35 000 per session.The organisation also denied that HIV-positive mothers were sharing milk formula with their babies.”The allegations made about mothers and babies sharing milk are untrue and unfounded, as documentations and records of distribution are available at Lironga Eparu’s offices for verification,” it said.According to the statement, Lironga Eparu’s books are clean because they have been audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers since 1999 and no irregularities or mismanagement had ever been reported.Newspaper reports did not allude to fraud, but rather alleged imbalances in terms of payments and scales of priority.”All the audit reports are available for public scrutiny.The 2007 audit is currently under way and it will also be made available for interested parties,” the statement said.Recently the organisation’s financial manager, Peter Iitai, was arrested for fraud.Lironga Eparu said Iitai was attached to the organisation by one of the donors, and Police investigations were continuing.”The working environment is conducive at Lironga Eparu.”