Two months after taking over Caritas' national activities, HUT is slowly establishing itself and has started campaigning for donations from businesses and private individuals.
Hëllef um Terrain ("Help on the Ground"), abbreviated as HUT, officially became operational in Luxembourg on 1 October 2024.
The non-profit association was founded after it came to light this summer that Caritas had lost over €60 million in a major fraud scandal, leaving the charity on the verge of financial collapse and putting many of its activities in jeopardy. Two months after, our colleagues from RTL.lu wanted to know where HUT currently stands and what its plans are for the future.
At present, HUT still operates as a non-profit association (ASBL). In the long-term, it is to be transformed into a foundation. While Erica Monfardin has been hired as financial director, HUT is still looking for a new director general and reviewing several applications at the moment. According to Christian Billon, President of the organisation's administration board, HUT has so far refrained from asking private individuals for donations, relying mostly on the funds provided by the various foundations participating in HUT.
Combined with "very generous" state support, these foundations provided a "cash flow," which enabled HUT to become operational, Billon explained. This "safety cushion" was essential to get the organisation off the ground, with Billon highlighting the significant costs involved, including the salaries of HUT's 350 employees.
Two months in, however, the organisation is now increasing its efforts to collect donations, both from companies and private individuals. Billon stressed that HUT needs these funds to sustain its operations. The administrative board seeks to earn the public's trust by providing detailed explanations of the projects their money would be used for.
HUT has also signed several agreements with municipalities across Luxembourg. While Billon was unable to say how many agreements are currently in place, he highlighted their importance and expressed gratitude towards those municipalities that were willing to meet HUT halfway.
In particular, Billon mentioned a new agreement HUT signed with the municipality of Esch-sur-Alzette regarding a social grocery shop. He specifically thanked Esch Mayor Christian Weis, "who really helped us with this." Besides Esch, HUT has a similar agreement with the town of Redange and "several agreements" with the municipality of Luxembourg City.
HUT was founded as a direct consequence of a massive fraud scandal at Caritas. The hypothesis currently favoured by the public prosecutor's office is that Caritas fell victim to an executive phishing scheme, also known as a CEO scam.
Billon assured that HUT has taken specific measures to avoid a similar fate. Its administrative board meets every week, with the administrative and financial managers providing weekly reports. One staff member also works part-time on operational coordination. Perhaps most importantly, HUT has put in place detailed protocols governing financial transactions.
When asked about the organisation's goals for 2025, Billon stated that the first objective is to stabilise the business, ensuring that staff can "work and focus on their jobs with peace of mind." He acknowledged that employees were put "under significant pressure" as a result of the events of this year.
Finally, Christian Billon expressed gratitude towards Caritas for proposing in a letter to its donors to forward their personal information to HUT. In the letter, Caritas stated that it would thank donors in advance for their "future contributions in support of society's most vulnerable."
HUT currently counts around 10,000 beneficiaries, although Billon noted that some individuals are counted twice due to the vastly different services provided by the organisation.
