"Social Enterprise" Project

[Jeff Mowatt]

Alfie, I'm a little surprised at your comments about human rights activists.

The great tragedy I find with this situation is that for the Western world, the disgust at what appears on their screens  outweighs any real effort to tackle this at source.

It's the result of poverty and corruption, rendering humans including children as saleable commodities. Especially vulnerable are those on the streets in preference to institutional care.

Human rights activists are trying to do something about this, and they have a lot of antagonism from those who can't contemplate what's really going on or admit to it, believe me.

I've described such a campaign here. Clearly it's not been understood to the point of snide comments  Par for the course, unfortunately.

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=4663.0

[ScottinCrimea]

Jeff, as I understand it, the campaign you describe is an effort to estabish a profitable IP company in Ukraine with an estimated profit of $700 million a year with the stated purpose of investing a certain percentage in helping to solve some of the social problems of Ukraine.  Is that correct?

[Jeff Mowatt]

That's part of it Scott. There are multiple components.

Primary social object is childcare reform, to house all of Ukraine's institutionalised children in family type group care homes as a precursor to possible later adoption where Ukrainians are financially encouraged and foreigners are motivated.

Rural broadband infrastructure deployed in collaboration with democratic activist business network to yeild ROI for deployment in the primary object.

A National scale microcredit program based on our previous successful pilot in Tomsk.

A faculty in a major university to study and promote social enterprise.

All of the above managed by Ukrainian/US collaboration at government level, who will manage all funds.

Thus propose elements which are less than full cost recovery, full cost recovery and more than full cost recovery in combination to return all investment in a 5 year project.

As you can imagine, there are those who would go to great lengths to separate the profitable and non-profitable elements and this is the root of our difficulty in countering a smear campaign.

Jeff   


   

[Kuna]

Jeff,

$700 million per annum in profit???   

How big is your WiMax network going to be?  At 50km radius per cell and a maximum capacity of 255 users (even forgetting about the contention ratio arguments) you'll need A LOT of customers to achieve such a profit!

Will the network be meshed?

How many customers are you projecting?

What the average revenue per customer?

Are you charging for data or is it a flat rate per end-point?

Are you able to manage latency so you can run voice and mission critical applications over your network?

Who's paying the "several" thousand dollars per end-point for infrastructure required?

What life have you estimated for your hardware infrastructure?

Who is backhauling your data from each cell and at what cost?

Have you considered that many of the "target customers" in remote and regional Ukraine don't have PC's... and possibly can't afford to purchase PC's?

Will your services be pre-paid or post paid?

How will you do your billing?

How will you collect customer payments?

I'd love to see your business plan...  If you can turn a $700M profit out of wireless technology in any year over the next 50 I'll be the first to congratulate you.

Mind boggling stuff!

Kuna

[Jeff Mowatt]

Yes, it is mind boggling and though I'd like to answer these questions it comes back to my earlier comment, that the commercial component would be very attractive to those who don't have similar objectives. Therefore I can't reproduce the 40 page business plan which we've developed over the last 3 years in public at present. This may change within a few months depending on progress.   

All this depends on approval from both sides, the total value is $1.5bn of which infrastructure investment represents but one part. I can say that given the pipeline constraints in Ukraine and the need to deploy in a short timescale, that it's a VSAT based approach, otherwise the rest remains confidential.

Jeff     

[ScottinCrimea]

Jeff,
     You and TH are soliciting donations and government funds under the guise of promoting social reform in Ukraine for the purpose of funding a private business.  You have specifically avoided making this a non-profit organization with the admitted goal of getting around the regulations and because you don't want it to be transparent.

Kuna's questions and comments show clearly that you have no business plan and that it is all smoke and mirrors.

I fail to see how writing slanderous articles and making inflammatory unsubstantiated statements about the conditions of children in Ukraine would make the government receptive to working with you.  I live in Simferopol, have been to the orphanage there and know first hand that what was written was not based on the reality I know.

I also am very familiar with the "major university" that is claimed will be involved to "study and promote social enterprise.  I have been a volunteer consultant and conducted seminalrs at the Crimean Engineering and Pedagogal Institute here in Simferopol and know that they have no interest in your project.

Bringing attention to the needs of disadvantaged children in Ukraine is a noble venture, but when their plight is used as a tool to create a private company and generate personal profit, that is abuse of the highest level.

As far as there being a smear campaign. I have no connection to anyone you claim is involved in this vast conspiracy.  I just know crap when I smell it.  Maybe you could clear it all up by giving reasonable answers to the questions and comments posted by another concerned individual:



Terry Hallman was not only expelled from Russia but also the UK.

His company People-centred Economic Development (P-CED) registered in the UK was deregistered in August this year.

His claims of being poisoned by the KGB are unsupported by facts and evidence.

His involvement and role in relation to the Tomsk microfinance project is in question as he or his organisation are not mentioned anywhere except in their own postings.

P-CED is not registered or recorded on the UA Aid web site www.usaid.org

The claims of Mr Hallman's influence with the US Government is dubious if not outright deceitful.

There is no independent accredited referees to back up Mr Hallman and Mr Mowatt's claims and outrageous statements about Death Camps for Children.

Not one accredited welfare organisation has supported Mr Hallman or Mr Mowatt

P-CED never received funding or approval for the Crimea project by US Aid. no mention of the project or Terry Hallman in their annual reports. www USAid.org

P-CED has no assets, no office and no capital investment in Ukraine

Mr Hallman claims he had a wife named Olga who lived in Russia. He was never married to a Russian women named Olga..

Terry Hallman makes numerous statements and unfounded allegations on the maidan web site. Statements that can not be questioned or challenged because Mr Hallman is the English moderator on that web site.

[Jeff Mowatt]

Scott, It seems that most of these assertions arise from misunderstanding. P-CED was a pioneer in advocacy for social purpose business. We are not seeking funds, but delivering a strategy plan for Ukraine's government to use as a template for reforms based on these principles.

We have no contact with Simferopol university, the report we reproduced was issued by a credible US based NGO who we would like to name but cannot because they wish to remain anonymous. TH has never worked for USAID, he sourced the Tomsk project and was paid a consultancy fee. He was not expelled from Russia but found himself unable to obtain another visa. As you will have read there are all kinds of restrictions being made in this area by the Putin regime. He came to the UK as a visitor under the visa waiver program declaring his intentions fully and was refused permission to re-enter alongside me when we went out of country to renew on expiry. This is common practice for many expat travellers. Americans in Ukraine do it, by visiting Poland.

We have a company registered in Ukraine which is funded by revenues earned in the UK. Our detractor knows this to be the case because we have a copy of a request from him to provide business visa support. TH was not paid for the Crimea project because he blocked it personally objecting to corruption.

The fact that we have no investment in Ukraine illustrates we are not there to profit from our presence, not that we are criminally inclined.

Olga was to all extents and purposes his common law wife, she worked alongside him in Crimea and now remains in Russia where he cannot return. I have corresponded with her personally.

We do not moderate the Maiden website but have editorial permission to post and deal with derogatory anonymous comments.
         
Now ask yourself this. Anyone who suspects the intentions of an organisation operating in Ukraine with UK funding has every opportunity to contact criminal authorities in their own name and report it. So why would someone want to do this and not be identified?

I will not answer questions which reveal the commercial details of a business strategy plan, nor would any potential competitor.

You may consider that crap, but you don't seem to have grasped what is going on here.   
     

   

[WmGO]

Methinks this Mowatt dude is a lazy bum who won't get a real job and is trying to con naive and good natured people out of their hard earned money to support himself and his buddies lifestyle, whatever that is..........also seems that he has a masters degree from Propaganda Bull**** University..............

[ScottinCrimea]

Jeff, there just seem to be too many "misunderstandings".  Being banned from two countries doesn't provide a good reference, especially one being the UK if you are an american.

Thanks for you r reply.  You answered some questions but left many unanswered.

My assumption regarding the University in Simferopol may have been wrong.  It is a Tatar University and your associate discusses trying to work with the Tatars in Crimea.  It was the most logical "major university" I could think of.  Unfortunately, it appears that the Tatar community now refuses to work with him because of another "misunderstanding".

The problem from my perspective is that there is way to much explaining to do.  This is due to the embellishments and exaggerations of your partner of his involvement with certain projects, his influence in government circles, the level of his international business involvement, etc. and his inability or unwillingness to provide references or documentation of any of his claims.

My suggestion is that if you are truly interested in helping the people of Ukraine, you need to associate with different people.  Those you are involved with now seem to leave a trail of "misunderstandings" and ill-will behind them wherever they go.

[Jeff Mowatt]

Human Rights Watch source, fully congruent with the Ukrainian trip report and recent discoveries in Romania:

http://hrw.org/reports98/russia2/Russ98d-07.htm

What you think is your problem but kindly keep such insults to yourself, none of us look better by pissing on someone else's shoes.

[WmGO]

I don't deny that problems of care for the severely retarded/malformed exist in the FSU, what I DO question is YOUR credibility...........I have had too much involvement putting MY OWN time and money into helping alleviate problems in this area to put ANY stock into you or your "group".............-30-

[Jeff Mowatt]

You haven't been asked to contribute - We don't advocate charity. All funds to maintain this project have been raised from my own business resources. What reason do you have for assuming otherwise other than it offends you somehow?

[ScottinCrimea]

I've reread my post carefully and can't seem to find any insults to you there.  Please enlighten me.

Your link is to a report that primarily cites anonymous sources in an interview conducted in 1998, 9 years ago.  It discusses a psychoneurological institute for children, not the typical orphanage.  In addition, it discusses conditions in Russia, not Ukraine. so the conclusions that you are trying to draw are that all orphanages have similar conditions as the psych facilities, that Ukraine is the same as Russia, and that nothing has changed in the past 9 years.

I live in Ukraine.  I'm not blind to the problems.  I encourage those who in good faith seek to help.  I just don't see the efforts of your group being in good faith and I will fiercely protect those of my new home from outside abuse under whatever guise.  I'll put my efforts behind those who have a proven track record, those who are transparent and those who have no ulterior motives such as making a profit off the backs of the poor.  The sincere groups leave a trail of good will, better understanding and positive impressions.  So far your group has failed on all counts.

[WmGO]

I encourage those who in good faith seek to help.  I just don't see the efforts of your group being in good faith and I will fiercely protect those of my new home from outside abuse under whatever guise.  I'll put my efforts behind those who have a proven track record, those who are transparent and those who have no ulterior motives such as making a profit off the backs of the poor.  The sincere groups leave a trail of good will, better understanding and positive impressions.  So far your group has failed on all counts.

Amen Scott!

[Jeff Mowatt]

Not you Scott, the comment preceding it:

"Methinks this Mowatt dude is a lazy bum who won't get a real job and is trying to con naive and good natured people out of their hard earned money to support himself and his buddies lifestyle, whatever that is..........also seems that he has a masters degree from Propaganda Bull**** University....."

It is a response not worthy of a serious discussion forum, though unfortunately, typical of what must be endured by anyone who constrains themselves to reasoned discussion. To me, it says "I'm confronted by something I don't understand, can't be bothered to learn about it and resort to insinuation and insult to register my point"


   

[Jeff Mowatt]

Back to you Scott. Once again no-one is asking for your money. You refer to a track record based on a series of allegations from an anonymous source and accept it verbatim.

You might have referred to the agency owner in Kharkiv last year, I believe it was Jack Bragg, who we found Alexey an interpreter for. find Alexey and ask who funded his scholarship. Find David, the Ugandan medical student helping and being supported by us in Kharkiv. Find those who have met us and know what we've been doing. Then perhaps you'll be in a position to pass judgement.
       

[ScottinCrimea]

Give me some links or e-mail addresses and I will be happy to contact them.  Give me some references and specifics that will allow me to check things out other than quotes from your business associates.  It seems that is all others have asked you to do.  I'm a big fan of independent verification.  It shouldn't be too hard based on all the charity, government and business connections that have been claimed.

You want me to be in a "better" position to pass judgement, then you'll need to help me out here.

It seems that if you give citations based on anonymous sources, you shouldn't have any problem with the opposition using them.

[Jeff Mowatt]

Well Scott, I know Terry is still in contact with Inci Bowman of the International Commitee for Crimea, whose contact information will be found on the link from our website http://www.iccrimea.org/scholarly/economicdev.html

You can try the Clinton Presidential Library as I have done for a copy of Terry's poverty whitepaper. They will most likely tell you as they told me, that it's under the President's control and they can't release it.

I've pledged as has Terry not to reveal the name of the NGO visting internats, their staff names or the places they operate. He's had meetings with them in Kharkiv which included representation from the University of California. They also demand non-disclosure.

I can ask Terry for contact details for those in Kharkov providing support and refer you to Ukraine's government portal and the recent announcement of 400 rehab centres which cannot be needed unless there real problems to tackle and only we have been raising the profile of this issue.     

I'll be able to get the contact details of a supporter who dropped the report on the office of Unicef in Kyiv who promised to respond with investigative action and yet haven't.

So, in some ways I can comply, in others we're hampered by those who acknowledge the problem but won't go on record. I believe Terry may be able to offer the names of those who flatly refuse access to internats. 

So we're hampered to a degree but haven't concealed anything about our operations or identity so can't ourselves be accused of being anonymous.
   

[Kuna]

Jeff,

In short... its impossible to make a $700 million profit from such a network because it's IMPOSSIBLE to deploy the network in a commercially viable way.

This is why...

WiMAX can provide connectivity within a cell that has a range of approximately 50km...  BUT you need to backhaul the data via an alternate infrastructure (either cabled or long range wireless like microwave) to actually CONNECT to the Internet.

I would suggest no such infrastructure exists in Ukraine otherwise they would have affordable broadband (copper re-use technologies like xDSL) available throughout the major centres already.

Think about it... How do you get your data from the WiMAX cell to the Internet when there's no Internet connectivity available?

We face the exact same problems in remote and regional Australia.  The major centres have infrastructure available to backhaul data from a localised wireless network, but the areas that have no adequate broadband can't benefit from WiMAX because you simply can't get the data out!

Now you'll probably say there's enough people in larger centres to make this profitable but we both know that's not true.  Even if you only wanted to deliver the network in Kiev you won't be able to compete on price because an existing cabled infrastructure will always be cheaper than a newly implemented wireless infrastructure because the wireless network will still rely on the cabled network to get data out to the Internet.

It just doesn't work...

You can avoid the need for cabled backhaul if you build a meshed network (some pretty cool technology has been developed in New Zealand for this) but a network of that size would introduce new problems like extended network latency and quality degradation because of the high number of concurrent users.Such a network would be an Internet only (email and browsing) service. You would not be able to deliver voice and therefore your revenue projections will only be a fraction of a voice AND data network because voice spend far exceeds data revenue.

It's impossible (at this time) to deliver QOS over that type of network therefore there will be NO voice.

There ARE backhaul alternatives and local area options available and commercially viable, but it's not cheap or easy... If you give me $1million I can tell you what those options are.  

WiMAX is only going to be a solution for Telco's to resolve localised network issues like the deployment of RIM technologies (See Telstra in Australia and the disaster they've created through legacy cost cutting) and even then the costs will have to be subsidised by the cabled network revenue.

Sorry, you just can not deliver what you promise!

Kuna

[ScottinCrimea]

So Jeff, you are unable to give me a single personal, business or government reference either in the US, the UK, Russia or Ukraine?  How about the representatives from the University of California?  I can't imagine they would insist on anonymity.  That makes no sense at all. I have some contacts there so I can certainly follow up on whatever you provide.

The one name you did provide was Inci Bowman from the International Committee for Crimea who did an interview with him in 2004.  I have written her asking for information and if there are any problems I can use my contacts in Tatar government and educational circles to follow up.

How can any company expect to build a business and receive support if they are unable to provide even the simplest of references?

A report dropped off at Unicef and a poverty white paper that President Clinton is keeping under wraps, both written by your associate, show your efforts to move your agenda forward but do not describe the high US government contacts that your associate claims.

As far as you yourselves being anonymous, every scheme needs a front man.  To be honest, I haven't seen any examples of you misrepresenting yourself, only your enterprise and your associate in his false and exaggerated claims about himself, his contacts, and his accomplishments.

[Simoni]

Human rights activists are trying to do something about this, and they have a lot of antagonism from those who can't contemplate what's really going on or admit to it, believe me.

You can certainly say that again.  People who take pot shots from right field at organizatons and individuals who are trying to make a difference truly puzzle me.  If they don't care--fine.  But just stay out of the way of those that do.

[Kuna]

You can certainly say that again.  People who take pot shots from right field at organizatons and individuals who are trying to make a difference truly puzzle me.  If they don't care--fine.  But just stay out of the way of those that do.

Pardon???

[ScottinCrimea]

Simoni, Where the heck did that come from?  I don't think you have done your homework on this group or you would not consider them activists.  In my view, activists have a moral agenda, not a financial one.

Ho dare you say I don't care?  I certainy will have no financial gain from this dispute, but I certainly care about the people in Ukraine he is trying to profit from, and no, I will not step aside and just watch it happen.  So how's that for activism?

By the way, the e-mail I sent to Inci Bowman was returned as undeliverable so I am working on contacting her.  What I did learn is that the International Committee for Crimea is an internet discussion group whose goal is in promoting the Tatar cause, nothing more.  It is made up of members who do not live in Crimea and they do not represent anyone on an official basis.

I also learned that the interview with TH that Jeff provided the link for was initiated at his request, not theirs, and that it was not conducted in person.  In fact, he has never met Inci Bowman.  Still, it sounds impressive until the facts are known.  It's this kind of embellishment that bothers me.  I look forward to chatting with Ms Bowman to learn more.

[Jeff Mowatt]

Scott, When i wrote last night I didn't understand Mr Bowman's participation in Crimean affairs. You are right he is not on the ground there and merely took an interest on discovering the project in Crimea.

Please understand this. We work as a social enterprise not a charity. The entire ethos of this is that we do not solicit funds from either public or private sources to drive our efforts. It comes from our own resources which are entirely ours to use as we see fit. We are not attempting to pull public funds for our use, all such initiatives operate under government control.

Simoni makes a simple point which I thank him for. We are having this discussion because of your assertion that there must be something wrong because someone unknow has written something derogatory about us on a blog page. When  having pointed out that this comes from someone who dare not represent themselves in public, rather than acknowledge your selectivity, you change tack to launch a barrage of questions.

Once more you bang on about us " building a business and receiving support" in spite of me telling you that's not how it works. You then reach out in all directions in an effort to find something wrong.

We aren't obliged to answer to you. As far as I'm concerned we have done no wrong, only attempted to make a difference from our own resources. We are bound by rules of business and you have every right to contact authorities if you believe there's some wrongdoing. Otherwise you are simply replicating the efforts of a lunatic in Kharkiv who discredits himself with his continous assaults under a multitude of identities.

Terry isn't going to help your investigations, he doesn't have to, neither do I.         

             

[Kuna]

Jeff,

Where is the $1.2 billion coming from to build the WiMAX network?

Will you have an attempt at replying to my post regarding viability?

Kuna