CODE OF CONDUCT of Turtle Tree foundation

  1. Any member of the Board of the foundation, any project coordinator, any intern or anyone hired to provide services on behalf of the foundation, in Haiti, The Netherlands, or the United States shall not: Place himself or herself in a position in which he or she could have a conflict of interest between his or her activities for the foundation and other activities or responsibilities. Or act in a way that his or her public or official integrity is called into question. Endanger or diminish respect for and confidence in the integrity of the organisation. Use his or her office for personal gain, or enter into any transaction, or engage in any transaction, or engage in any enterprise or activity that might be reasonably expected to give rise to doubt in the minds of members and to general public about the legitimacy of that action. Indulge themselves in any underground plots, nepotism or favouritism, corruption or bribery. This also includes any money paid to local authorities or any other persons aimed at receiving a better treatment or priority for one of the programs. Furthermore: working as a volunteer does not mean being without obligations. Volunteers also have to keep to their appointments, agreements and promises.

  2. No member of the foundation or of the board, executive or volunteer shall engage in any sexual or physical abuse of any person or abuse the office to obtain any sexual or other undue advantage from beneficiaries, members or any other person. They shall never exploit the vulnerability of any target group, especially women and children, or allow any person/s to be put into any compromising situation. They shall never engage in any sexual activity with children (persons under the age of 18). Mistaken belief in the age of a child is not a defence.
  3. No member of the foundation or of the board, executive or volunteer shall engage or, in any other way, abuse any source of the organisation. They shall uphold the highest standards of accountability, efficiency, competence, integrity and transparency in the provision of goods and services in the execution of their jobs. They shall hold themselves accountable to both those they seek to assist and those from whom they accept resources. The foundation shall not accept any donation from organisations that hold contrary objectives to those of the foundation. Foundation-members shall always respect the privacy of people who donate or receive money or assistance. Members of the board and volunteers shall not receive any salary. The foundation only pays for unavoidable expenses. No flight tickets to and from Haiti will be paid except for missions explicitly ordered by the board.
  4. Aid is given regardless of social status, race, ethnicity, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, national origin, political affiliation or disability of the recipients and without any negative distinction of any kind. Aid priorities are calculated on the basis of need alone. No aid will be used to further any particular political or religious standpoint. All foundation-members shall respect culture and custom, except when they conflict with human dignity, the universal declaration of human rights and equal opportunities for men and women. They shall create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse, abuse of power and corruption, and that promotes the implementation of the code of conduct.
  5. The foundation shall build on local capacities. Ways shall be found to involve programme beneficiaries in the execution of development programs.
  6. Any breach of this code of conduct shall lead to an investigation by the board. This may result in the dismissal of the person, regardless if he or she is a member of the foundation, an employee, a free-lancer or a volunteer. If the breach of the code concerns fraud or misuse of sources of the organisation, or any penal offence, the foundation will report this to police and justice officials.