BEDFORD, Va. – A Bedford woman is facing disturbing allegations about her nonprofit in Uganda.
Renee Bach is being sued for allegedly operating a medical facility without a license, which court documents said led to the death of hundreds of children.
The Women's Probono Initiative and two mothers filed the civil suit in court in Uganda, saying actions by the nonprofit Serving His Children led to the death of their babies.
Less than two years ago, 10 News sat down with Bach to talk about her nonprofit. Then, she said, "Our focus is malnutrition, so we do preventative care programs and also treatment services."
In court documents, the plaintiffs said they were led to believe Bach was a medical doctor and they claim she unlawfully practiced medicine and offered medical services to unsuspecting vulnerable children. Now-deleted images show her wearing a stethoscope and administering care to children. The mothers said they only learned after their children died that Bach had no proper medical training.
"The people in Uganda aren't that stupid. I mean, there's almost a racist undertone in this that somehow they would not understand that this was a girl that had gone over as a late teen and served there for a decade. They knew exactly who she was and what she was doing," said David Gibbs, attorney for the National Center for Life and Liberty.
Gibbs, who’s working with Bach’s legal team in Uganda, is dismissing the claims as false. He said his client learned skills to help provide assistance as necessary, but always under the supervision of a qualified medical professional.
"We anticipate prevailing because there's just no factual basis to the allegations that are being put forth," Gibbs said.
The plaintiffs are asking a judge to shut down the organization.
"Ultimately, the loser in this would not be the organization or even Renee, but the ultimate loser would be the children that wouldn't be helped," Gibbs said.
Because the Ugandan legal system works differently than the American legal system, Gibbs said it could be months before the judge decides how to move forward.