The White Saviors

Jan 22 2025 8 ep. 27 mins 233
The White Saviors Podcast artwork

Over 25 years, WE built a golden brand by inspiring children to rally around their charismatic leader. But behind the scenes, employees experienced a cult-like culture and a troubling blur of charitable and commercial activities. In the aftermath of a national scandal, thousands of donors and volunteers (and dozens of ‘celebrity ambassadors’) are left wondering where the money went, and whether the savior industry creates a constant need for victims.

From CANADALAND, the news company that exposed it all, this is the exclusive story of a charity that did well when it was supposed to be doing good.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  True Crime  News  Society & Culture
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Introducing: The Copernic Affair

Jan 22 2025 3 mins  
The Copernic Affair is available now, wherever you get your podcasts.The life of an unassuming sociology professor in Canada gets turned upside down when he is accused of carrying out a 1980 bomb attack on a synagogue in Paris. Hassan Diab says heʼs innocent, but French investigators are determined to prove otherwise.Journalists Dana Ballout and Alex Atack take listeners through t

UPDATE (September, 2021)

Sep 21 2021 20 mins  
What's up with the WE Organization now? An update on recent developments.Further reading:WE Charity planned to move to the United States. (link)WE Kenya country director Carolyn Moraa's blog (link)The Twitter campaign against The White Saviors (link) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chapter Five - The Bottom Line

Sep 13 2021 46 mins  
Where did the money go? Where are all the schools that WE says it built? A political scandal breaks the dam on decades of silence. Revelations pile up of donor fraud, racism, child abuse, "dirty trick" campaigns against WE's enemies and other financial misconduct. Then, the Kielburgers silence the scandal with a shocking announcement... ****Music by Audio Network****Offic

Chapter Four - Crimes In Kenya

Sep 06 2021 46 mins  
Kenya was the jewel in the crown of the WE Organization's global empire. It's where they took celebrities and CEOs for life-changing "experiences" with needy children, followed by stays in their 5-star luxury beach resort. It's also where WE co-founder Marc Kielburger hired a private security firm staffed by an ex-Israeli military operative and a Sri Lankan fugitive to deal with Ke

Chapter Three - The Halo Effect

Aug 30 2021 36 mins  
In the age of “corporate social responsibility,” giant corporations are tired of looking like the bad guys. Microsoft, Dow Chemical, Allstate Insurance, Hershey's, Teck Mining – these companies were used to being blamed and boycotted. But by donating to WE Charity, they got more than tax benefits - they got a whole new PR strategy. This is the story of how WE turned virtue in

Chapter Two – The Cult of Kielburger

Aug 23 2021 35 mins  
Kids in 17,000 schools have been encouraged to take the WE Pledge, join the WE movement, and “Live WE.” But what does that really mean? In practice, it has meant fundraising for WE, paying the Kielburgers’ private company for a “voluntourism” trip, going to work for WE, and living in communal WE housing. According to many of those who lived WE, it meant joining an organiz

Chapter One – The Children's Crusade

Aug 20 2021 31 mins  
Craig Kielburger was the Greta Thunberg of the 90s – a 12 year-old kid from the suburbs who dreamed of freeing the world’s children from slavery. His activism made him famous, and he was endorsed by Oprah, the Pope, the Queen, and the Clintons. His campaign became a global movement and a powerful brand. But right from the start, there were uncomfortable questions about mon

Introducing: The White Saviors

Aug 11 2021 3 mins  
Over 25 years, WE built a golden brand by inspiring children to rally around their charismatic leader. But behind the scenes, employees experienced a cult-like culture and a troubling blur of charitable and commercial activities. In the aftermath of a national scandal, thousands of donors and volunteers (and dozens of ‘celebrity ambassadors’) are left wondering where the money