Introducing: The Missionary

In 2009, a young American missionary named Renee Bach built a nonprofit to fight child malnutrition in Uganda. Ten years later, allegations surface that hundreds of children died at her facility. How could this happen? Hosted and reported by Rajiv Golla, Halima Gikandi and Malcolm Burnley. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Renee just had like a mother Teresa's heart. You know,
she was just like trying to do her best, had
good intentions. At nineteen years old, Renee Bach moved from
her small town in Virginia halfway across the world to
start a nonprofit in Uganda. The Lord just allowed me
to see that malnutrician is such an issue in Uganda

(00:23):
that's often really hidden in dark places. She thought she
was doing the Lord's work, but instead she left behind
at least a hundred dead children and parents searching for justice,
a community torn apart, and a ragtag group of young
journalists on the hunt for answers. I think people have
forgotten that I'm a human and a person with emotions,

(00:45):
and someone who has children that are going to grow
up one day and google their mom's name and say, Wow,
was my mom a serial killer? Did she start a genocide?
Because that's what people said about her. And on our
new podcast series The Missionary, We're going to take you
into the story of Renee back and find out what
actually happened at the hands of this young missionary. She

(01:07):
grabbed a medication and injected her with it, and then
she fell backwards. I used to take the dead bodies
to dead villages. Was it like this when you brought
him to the center. Oh my gosh, this is terrible,

(01:29):
and who's really to blame? I was watching her be
literally crucified for trying to do the right thing. She
was to be protected at all costs as a white missionary.
I learned compassionate with her. I learned to love without expectation.
She was there for Afrikaans. She was putting the lives
of young children to danger. If it was to have

(01:51):
white lives in the US, it would have never happened.
Coming soon from I Heeart Media, The Missionary an investigative
series that asks was Renee Bach a woman of good
intentions in over her head or a predator posing as
a saint? Have you ever been put in a situation
like that? Do you know what you would do? Because like,

(02:13):
it's a tough call and you have to live with
yourself with the answer of that for the rest of
your life.