This is Cosmin Chitu's account - Tvind Alert

A modern fairy tale from Norway
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world!
William Shakespeare , The Tempest
My name is Cosmin George Chitu and I believed in a brave new world. I believed that I can actually
change something by doing good. I believed that I can become better by doing worthy deeds. Today I
see things slightly different and if you have patience you will see why…
A year ago I arrived in Hornsjo, the place where DRH-Norway is based – a satellite school part of
Humana People to People organisation (known in Scandinavia as UFF). I was fascinated by the beauty
of nature and I fell in love with the Norwegian scenery. I was bursting with positive energy fuelled by
my dreams of going to Africa and becoming a Development Instructor. I knew from the beginning it’s
going to be hard, that I will have to work a lot and overpass many challenges. I was thinking that I am
unstoppable. But I was wrong. Back then I didn’t know what is going to happen so I kept my
enthusiasm sky high. I worked a lot and I did my best. Sometimes I didn’t agree with the things going
on and I spoke freely even if that meant to attract disbelief. I felt I was doing the right thing and I never
was too obedient. From this point of view I wasn’t too sympathized by the school’s headmasters: Gert
and Sissel. Nonetheless I was doing well with my fundraising and I was working hard even if
sometimes the conditions weren’t the best. In some cases I was aware of the risks I was subject to, in
other situations I was not just because I wasn’t trained in doing so. Nonetheless I was doing clothes
collection (CC) for 10-14 hour per day. In one instance my colleague and I were behind the schedule so
we worked almost 20 hours to empty all the clothes containers that were designated to us.
But none of these actually matter. What matters is that one day I had an accident. I was polishing one
of Humana’s CC containers with a spinning electrical tool. I didn’t know that the metal brush was not
supposed to be used with that specific tool because it had far more rotations per minute. I was given
that tool and I was working with it. No one taught me how to use it…I was trying to learn by myself.
This is part of Humana’s “challenge yourself” philosophy and every time a student asks for help he is
told that in Africa he will be alone with no support so he has find solutions by himself.
When I told the CC responsible (Kamil) that my protection glasses were always getting vapours from
my breath and I could not see properly, he told me not to use them. I knew that was wrong however I
was trying to get my job done. I knew I have to fundraise otherwise I would not be able to go to Africa.
So I continued my work and I was taking off the glasses for short periods just to see where to polish.
And then it happened. A piece of wire from the metal brush broke because of the high speed - higher
than the technical requirements. It pierced my eye through the iris and it stopped 1 mm from the
retina. It was 1,7 cm long and it was inside of my ocular sphere. At that moment I didn’t know how bad
it was. I felt little pain and I continued working, thus finishing my job. However by the next day my eye
started to get really inflamed and I decided to inform my teacher (Isabel Turba) that I need to go to the
hospital in Lillehammer. I went to the emergency department and the medic said I have nothing inside
of my eye; he just gave me an ointment. He was not a specialist and he didn’t find my case bad enough
to send me to an ophthalmologist.

I was sent to do clothes collection the next day in Trondheim area. I worked for two days and
observing that my sight is decreasing, I went to another hospital (it was the fourth day since the
accident). There they discovered the foreign body in my eye and I underwent surgery in emergency
state. It took almost 4 hours to remove a 1.7 cm metal wire out of my ocular sphere. I was hospitalized
for one week and I was told that there were high chances to lose my eye due to the infection. I had
traumatic cataract and they had to take out my natural crystalline lens. My CC team colleagues visited
me twice before they went back to Hornsjo. The school’s headmasters didn’t even call to the hospital to
check my status. I sent an email to my teacher with a very detailed description of my situation and I
also asked her why the school is not showing any signs. This is a quote from her reply: “I am sorry that
we did not march collectively into the hospital to pay you a visit. Don't be unfair!”. I asked myself then,
being alone in a foreign hospital after a severe trauma, how a person who was supposed to train me in
helping the ones in need can be so ironic and careless about a situation like mine.
Eventually, after 8 days I was out of hospital and I rushed by foot to the train station to catch the ride
back to Hornsjo. It was in the period of Humana gathering during mid-June, so Sissel and Gert were too
busy to talk about my condition even if I told Sissel that I am available for a discussion whenever she
has time. Gert only asked me a few days later if I had health insurance and was very happy when I gave
him the affirmative answer. Even when I opened a discussion during a morning assembly when
everyone was present (students and the schools’ officials) regarding the safety procedures there was
little interest from the headmasters regarding my accident. The strange thing is that I actually wanted
to continue my project even after these events. I still wanted to help the others and I was hoping that
after another surgery for implanting the artificial lens I will be able to go on.
It wasn’t meant that way. After a week I had a routine check-up in Lillehammer. There they discovered
that my retina had detached - one of the most severe ocular pathologies. I needed to reach Oslo for
another surgery right away. I called Isabel telling her about my status and I asked her if there is any
car available to transport me to the hospital. I knew she was with my team nearby, visiting a refugee
camp, and I thought they can take me to the hospital. They were the only ones I could ask for help. She
told me that there are no cars and proposed me to go by train. Eventually the hospital arranged for a
taxi to transport me to Oslo. I underwent another surgery the next day.
During my stay at Ulevall Universitetssykehusset I was questioned by a social worker about my case.
She told me that the school was supposed to report the accident to the police immediately after it
happened as the Norwegian Law states. They were also supposed to inform the Labour Protection
Institution (Arbeidstilsynet). In the beginning it is true that no one (including myself) was aware of the
severity of the wound, nevertheless after I informed my teacher regarding my surgery and the
potential risks I was facing I would say the situation was quite clear.
As an inspector from Arbeidstilsynet contacted the school’s officials regarding the accident (3 weeks
had passed since my first surgery and that specific moment), then Sissel and Gert started to get in
touch with me. They even sent me a postcard and some money “to buy chocolate or something to
read”. I find their gesture a little awkward as they never seemed to care about my case until that point.
By that time the doctors discovered a new retinal detachment and I was supposed to have another
surgery – the third one in less than a month. I stayed a total of three weeks in hospital (one in
Tronheim and two in Oslo) and during this period there was not a single phone call to the hospital in
order to clarify my situation. I was a stranger amongst strangers in a very bad medical condition.
After the third surgery I went out of hospital. I returned to Hornsjo and I waited there for 2 more
months as I had a gas bubble inserted in my eye which made it impossible for me to travel by plane. I
started to document myself and eventually I contacted a lawyer.

I found out that the school was supposed to give all the students a proper training before letting them
use unsafe tools and moreover, they were supposed to offer all the students a working insurance. In
fact the school rules stipulate that each new comer should have his own insurance done from home.
Before my arrival in Norway, I was told by my recruiting contact Yanyu Li that a European Health card
is sufficient. I didn’t know how things work in Norway so I trusted the school. I had a few discussions
with Sissel regarding this issue. She admitted that the European Health card is not proper. They had a
more tragic experience when Milan - a Czech student - died two years ago in a car accident and
Valentina – a Bulagrian student – was hospitalized for several months. The accident occurred while
they were doing CC. They knew it is not a proper insurance and still they continued to recommend it to
new students as they didn’t want to pay a proper Norwegian working insurance from the school’s
budget. I ask myself how is it possible?
How is it possible that a humanitarian organization which has the only purpose to help the others can
break the laws so easily? How can they disregard human beings without the slightest remorse? How
could they not implement safety measures after all the tragedies that occurred in that place? Even
when I was still there a new car accident happened and a student was injured. The driver was
completely inexperienced in driving vans and even if she specified that aspect, she was allowed to
drive and do clothes collection. It is true they test the drivers before (one test usually takes 30-40
minutes) and it is obvious it is not feasible to asses someone’s driving skills in such a short period
especially when it comes to hard working situations (a normal day of clothes collection lasts at least
10-11 hours, sometimes in harsh weather conditions). Again no one cared.
Once I read an idea that I liked a lot, an idea which stands at Humana’s core: “In the beginning only
Adam was alone, now we are all together”. Well I must say I felt very alone during my three weeks in
hospital. I felt abandoned by the people with whom I was eating, the people for whom I was working,
the people that I trusted and I needed so much. Now I write this letter with only one eye able to read.
My damage is permanent and I underwent the fourth surgery in December. I also had a laser
intervention a few months ago. To complete the circle, recently I found out that I might need another
surgery. I don’t know how my future will look like. Sissel told me the school will not get involved in
covering any of my expenses. Moreover I tried to contact Humana People to People several times and
eventually they replied with a short email telling that they feel sorry for my accident and they will ask
DRH for more details. It doesn’t matter in the end…at least now I know how the people in need from
Africa or India really feel when they cry for help and no one is hearing them…
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Cosmin George Chitu