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Integrity Policy

September 2020

Integrity Policy Children's Aid Foundation Dominican Republic

Stichting Kinderhulp Dominicaanse Republiek is committed to facilitating education for children from socioeconomically weak family situations, as well as children with disabilities, in the Dominican Republic. To do so, we support various (school) projects in the Dominican Republic. The behavior of the board members and others committed to our foundation is consistent with the goals and values of our organization.

A. ABUSE OF POWER

To prevent abuse of power, we observe the following rules:

  1. The board of the Children’s Aid Dominican Republic Foundation has a balanced composition. Our foundation is governed at all times by at least three directors with equal voting rights. None of these directors share a common household or come from the same family.
  2. Our directors are chosen to minimize the possibility of conflicts of interest. To make this transparent, we publish the other activities of directors (work, other board or advisory positions) in our annual reports.
  3. Our board members are unpaid and receive reimbursement only for actual expenses incurred in the performance of their board duties. Disbursements are made on the basis of written expense reports submitted, initialled by the Treasurer.
  4. We ensure that all employees can perform their duties in a pleasant and safe environment, where we respect others, and do not discriminate on the basis of nationality, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age.
  5. We do not use our position to coerce unwanted behavior (such as sexual favors) by the other person.
  6. We give all people involved in the foundation the space to raise concerns or complaints about fraud, theft, discrimination, harassment, mismanagement or any other unethical behavior, without possible repercussions for those individuals.
  7. We do not leak confidential information.

B. CORRUPTION

To prevent corruption, we observe the following rules:

  1. Both the treasurer and the president are authorized on the foundation’s bank account(s). The president handles transfers to the Dominican Republic, and the treasurer handles other payments. All payments above €750 are based on a board resolution recorded in the minutes. The treasurer is free to make payments for current expenses with a maximum of €2,500 per year. The board decides on any increase in this budget.
  2. Our foundation handles carefully the resources and goods entrusted to it; we do not waste them. The foundation does not accept corruption or blackmail, and does everything possible to prevent it.
  3. For contracts/projects/works to be subcontracted whose cost exceeds €1,000, we request at least three offers. Honoring the most favorable offer is a decision of the majority of the board, in which cost and quality of the offer have been carefully weighed. Ethnicity, religious beliefs and/or gender of the offeror plays no role in the award.
  4. Our local partner in the Dominican Republic is the Asociacion Niños del Mundo in Nigua, Dominican Republic. Projects are carried out in cooperation with this local partner. For projects worth more than €5,000, an agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) is signed by both parties.

C. INTERPERSONAL VIOLATIONS

To prevent interpersonal violations, we observe the following rules:

  1. We do not cross the physical and emotional boundaries of others, for example, by unwanted touching, pushing, pinching, or even physical or sexual harassment.
  2. We do not continue flirting or other suggestive behavior when it has been made clear that the other person does not want it.
  3. We do not share pornographic, xenophobic or otherwise disturbing or offensive material.
  4. We do not make false accusations.
  5. We do not bully, make offensive jokes or exclude anyone.
  6. We behave professionally and respectfully in our contacts with donors, colleagues, (project) partners and project participants.
  7. The name of the Dominican Republic Children’s Aid Foundation is not used to promote political or religious interests.
  8. We avoid conflicts of interest, or conflicting interests between our work and our other activities.
  9. We do not work under the influence of alcohol or other narcotics, and do not carry illegal substances with us while working for the foundation.
  10. We do not accept donations or services from people, organizations or companies that have an interest in cooperating with our foundation.
  11. Our periodic trips to the Dominican Republic are undertaken by at least two representatives of the foundation.

While in the Dominican Republic:

– Conduct ourselves professionally and respectfully. We do not accept favors of any kind from people, companies or organizations that have a direct interest in our presence as individuals or in our capacity as representatives of the Foundation. By professional behavior we also mean respect for the morals and customs of the local population, which includes consideration of a dress code customary in the Dominican Republic.

– In any case, representatives of the foundation shall refrain from:

  • Sexual relations with Dominicans.
  • Drug use.
  • Making excessive demands for food and drink.

HANDHAVEN

The aforementioned norms, values and agreements must be embedded in the organization in various ways. We do this, for example, by:

– Hire new board members and volunteers who fit within the organization.
– Discuss the code with some regularity: are the rules still up to date? What dilemmas are involved?
– Do not allow transgressive behavior to go unpunished.

Report

Employees, interns, volunteers or other external stakeholders who are victims of transgressive behavior, or who see in the field, with partners or within the team that rules of conduct are being violated, may discuss it with and/or report it to a confidential advisor appointed as such by the board.  The trustee’s name and email address can be obtained at: contact@kinderhulpdominicaanserepubliek.nl. Or go to Contact and fill out the contact form.  

The confidant conducts a preliminary investigation: is there really a violation of the code of conduct? Is there reason for doubt? What is the provability? The confidant advises on an official report with related follow-up actions.  

The board determines further steps: taking immediate action if people are at risk and ensuring that victims are supported, conducting investigations to identify the nature and severity of the excess, raising excesses with those responsible, or possibly even reporting them to the police.

Supports

It is important that victims of transgressive behavior feel supported by those around them. This means discussing with the person involved whether action needs to be taken to restore safety. We consider whether sufficient support can be provided by the victim’s immediate environment, or whether professional help is needed.

Research

If it is decided to investigate further, the board establishes the investigation protocol. This defines the questions to be answered, whether the investigation will be conducted internally or externally, whether the police should be involved, who has what responsibility and how the rights of those involved will be protected.

Penalties

If a thorough investigation reveals that the code of conduct has indeed been violated, the organization may punish offenders. Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, various penalties may be imposed, from a first warning to removal from office. If necessary, external legal advice will be sought.

Reflection

With each report, we discuss whether enough has been done to prevent the problem and what can be done to prevent recurrence.

Communications

Significant violations of the Code of Conduct require that organizational stakeholders be informed. These include, for example, embezzlement of significant sums of money in projects or within the team, sexually transgressive behavior within projects or within the team, or structural harassment. Stakeholders include, for example, relevant partner organizations or donors.

The integrity policy is published on the website. The annual report lists any reports: number, nature and follow-up steps. It also states whether and how the policy has been amended.

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