Yesterday was a sad day for the SWAP team. It was with great sadness that the SWAP Foundation requested the return of the SWAP uniform and Cell Phone from EJ (a.k.a. Force) Schmidt Friday this last week.
Unfortunately the circumstances were serious enough that Police were involved and multiple charges will likely be laid as a result of the Police investigations. Our losses are in the thousands of Tala.
Temptation to do wrong is extraordinarily high when someone finds themselves moving from a one environment into another unfamiliar one. It takes a strong man to do the right thing in the face of temptation. The temptation for a Palagi facing theft is to embrace the culturally accepted emotional and physical aspects of Samoan justice, (such as raw anger and even violence). The temptation for Samoans here has been to take what they want (and lie about it to save face), especially when one can see comparative wealth, and they too have needs.
Force was not a strong man in this area and consciously chose to do wrong multiple times. It is sad to see the loss of a brother and a team member like this but our standards are high, extremely well elucidated to and by the team and our track record of integrity in all regards is strong. Lord willing, while I am at the helm, it will remain so. Putting it simply, theft and lies cannot be tolerated on our team.
Samoa can be a raw and brutal country at times. It is certainly not for the faint-hearted! The SWAP Foundation is however committed to pushing through adversity such as this and other challenges. We are already seeing fruit from our work in the many villages with the Samoa Village Stay programme launching and this progress motivates the current team, despite setbacks such as this.
We have an ethical issue to deal with in regards to the reporting of this matter. Some have suggested that it is culturally inappropriate to identify criminals publicly in Samoa. Keeping family honour is important in Samoa. The SWAP Foundation however has a mission to “Put Samoa on the Internet” and this must be honest and impartial information. Hiding the identities of trusted Ambassadors who have turned bad is a form of censorship. Future employees please take note that we have an International reach and will continue to speak openly an honestly about SWAP business without censorship. If you steal from us or lie to us, the world will know of it.
Sharing factual information openly and honestly provides security and confidence of future Ambassadors. It also protects the interests of our business partners, retains the confidence of the villages that we work with. We apologise to those who may be directly affected for any embarrassment.
It should be noted that while Force has confessed to us of some of his crimes, he has yet to be charged or found guilty in a court of law.
I will post any further details and update of events as appropriate here. Thank you.
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