OF HOW WE DECIDED OUR CHILDRENS HOMES SHOULD RUN

THE INCONCEIVABLY TRUE STORY

THIS IS YOUR COPY OF THE RULES FOR YOUR HOME

YOUR OWN CHILD-FRIENDLY VERSION OF THE MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR RESIDENTIAL CHILDCARE FACILITIES IN NAMIBIA

brought to you by:

Government of the Republic of Namibia

Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare

and the modern heroes at the Namibia Childrens Home

ou live at a childrens home, or youre moving into one soon. Everyone who works there will do their best to make you feel at home.

The government makes sure your home follows a rulebook, which says exactly how it must take good care of you. The adventure in this comic book will share those rules with you. Kids at the Namibia Childrens Home wrote it by answering the question: If you got lost on an island and had to make your own home there, how would you want it to run? The rules in their story are the same as the ones for your childrens home in real life. (Of course, your homes rules werent actually invented on an island. This is an inconceivably true story: Inconceivable means you cant imagine that its true. The truth is, 100 children at homes in Caprivi, Khomas and Otjozondjupa helped write the rules. That makes kids like you the real heroes.)
On different pages in the comic, the heroes write the rules on yellow papers like the one below. (They call them standards instead of rules, but that means the same thing.) Each paper has a big red number and a title that says what this group of rules is about. The red number matches the chapter number in your homes rulebook, which looks like this.

Next, each rule on the yellow papers starts with a little black number. This is also the same as the number inside your homes rulebook, which looks like this. (The rulebook always uses fancy words to say the same thing as the comic, like Administration and Finance instead of Main Office.) Finally, lighter words after each rule explain what your home should do to follow that rule.
8

Administra
STANDARD 15 - FINA
ard ving the Stand

NCIAl mAN The RCCF /organisatio AgEmENT sufficient n ensures resources that it is financ to fulfil its ially viable obligations. at all Achie

tion and Finance

times and has

ChAPTER

4.

Achieving

(See how number 17 is missing, between 16 and 18? Sometimes this comic book skips rules that are in your homes rulebook. The missing rules talk more about how your home has to work with the government. You can always ask to see the full rules: This comic is just to get you started.)

RCCF/organis ation respon tools in accord sible for fundrai ance with sing has a the legal restrict 2. All incomin clear fundrai ions for the g donations sing strateg privacy of organisation. y and are children. A fundraising recorded and visible and justifica in the financia tion of spendi documentation file l records is in place of the RCCF/ ng. 3. Childre showing incomin n will not be g donations misused 8 . Picture in fundraising s of childre activities. n and person with permis al stories sion of the will be used children and permission for fundrai is recorde sing purpos d in the fundrai the person legally 5. In the respon es only sing docum sible for the case of foreign entation file. child. This /interna legal require ments of GRN tional donors, the donations and the donor 6. In the case are justified country. of according way to childre donations linked to to the individual n who have children, no Misuse implies no individu child will be al donor. fundraising treated in through street a different shows,
begging etc.

DRAISINg The RCCF /organisatio accountable n has a transp registration arent fundr and spend aising strate ing of donat gy and prope ions and the Standard r and Governmen t support. . The

STANDARD

1. The RCCF/ organisation (e.g. by donor can commitments at all times prove of the facility its financia and/or secure l viability for a period and sustain of three years). d capital sufficient 2. An annual ability to cover the audit of the running costs financial records 3. The audited is carried financial report out by an responsible accredited is added to Ministry by accountant. the RCCF July 1 of the s Annual 4. The respon Report and each year. sible Ministr is sent to y will provide the 5. Audited feedback reports about it to the RCCF/ (GRN) in order should be monitored organisation. by the Govern to protect the organis ment of the 6. Financ ation. ial records Republic of Namibi are mainta procedures. a ined accord ing to clearly laid down financial policies and

16 - FuN

7

Because the rules in this comic all have the same numbers as in your homes rulebook, its easy to find them in the full rulebook whenever you want to talk about them at your home. If you agree that everything written under each standard is true, then your home is following the rules. If anything isnt true, your home has more work to do and you can do something about it. See the back cover to learn how you can get help. I hope this comic will make your life better, by helping you understand how your home must take care of you, and what you can do if theres a problem. Im proud of you for helping your home take good care of all its children! Sincerely,

The Honourable Rosalia Nghidinwa, Member of Parliament, Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare

WHOS WHO IN THIS COMIC

OUBOET: 88 and super strong. Dont underestimate him! PLANET 51: An army hero since he was 16. T.K.: Ouboets grandson. The richest man on earth. RAGIN: Looks like a princess, but she can see the future. LEE: Ouboets grandson and T.K.s little brother. He thinks hes a master thief, but hes really so much more. CATALYA: Survived for years in the desert by talking with her animal friends. CHIEF OVAGANGAN: Luckily hes on the island to help the heroes too, like your social worker in real life.

RICKY & KEVIN, THE BOOM BANG BOYS: Naughty brothers who came to the island first. They make life hard for the heroes.

* Read page 17 to find out what happened.

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15

MAKING THE MODERN HEROES

These are the kids who helped write this comic, posing like the picture on the cover. Each of them is playing the hero they created: Can you tell whos who? Find out more about them on the next pages!

THE BOOM BANG BOYS

by Melani Julie, 14 (left) and Denice De Wee, 21 (right)

Heres how their village used a crystal ball to send them to the island: Denice wrote the story, and Melani drew the pictures. (Charlotte also helped draw the second page.)

PLANET 51

by Frans Marti, 14
Frans also wrote the original story for Chief Ovagangan.

CATALYA

by Charlotte Stelzel, 16
Charlotte also wrote most of the words between Catalya and Ricky.

16

17

T.K.

by Tangeni Kalaputze, 13 (left)

OUBOET LEE

by Paulus Ouboet Owosed, 13 (centre)

Heres how Lee used to rob banks, and how T.K. started a new country: All of them wrote the story, and Tangeni drew the pictures. by Lee Rinounongo, 10 (right)

RAGIN

by Rachel Wilbard, 13 (left) and Gina Martin, 11 (right)

Ragins name is a combination of her creators names: Rachel drew and Gina helped write. Their quick blackand-white drawing inspired page 6.

EXTRA HELP WITH THE STORY

by Laurika Van Wyk, 20, and Nathan Vyklicky, 33
Laurika helped with the story from the start. Nathan works at the international non-profit that helped the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare make these standards for Namibias residential childcare facilities. He organised the activities with the kids and did the final art. Thanks also to all his family, colleagues and friends who helped especially Sean Oslin, Helvi Itenge and Chris Loureno (but any bad parts are his own).
18 19

ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WILL HELP IF YOU NEED BETTER CARE
The staff at your childrens home are just some of the people who are ready to help if you re in trouble. Start at the left of this chart and follow the arrows to see everyone who can be on your side, if you talk to anyone in the green box called Entry Point and tell them you are not getting the care you need. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare made this chart with support from the United Nations Childrens Fund.
H
ELP!

Namibias National Protection Referral Network

Entry Point
Child Helpline (116) Community Community support groups Counsellor Community facilitator School principal School counsellor Sports coach Teacher Caregiver Family Community member Hospital / Clinic Immigration official Labour inspector Youth officer Social worker Traditional Authority / traditional leader Religious leader Police

Wh Sup

Police Emergency
All sexual offences are referred directly to the Police/WACPU for medical examination and police intervention.

Support Services
Police / WACPU
Criminal investigation

Legal Services
Prosecutor

MGECW Child Helpline Eenhana Gobabis Katima Mulilo Keetmanshoop Lderitz Mariental Opuwo Oshakati Otjiwarongo Outapi Rehoboth Rundu Tsumeb Walvis Bay Windhoek

LifeLine/ChildLine

At entry point, only crisis advice/debriefing and emergency transportation (i.e. no in-depth counselling or interrogation)
Child Helpline (116) School counsellor Community counsellor Social worker Shelter caretaker Youth leader Religious leader

Doctor
Medical examination Treatment Emergency drugs

Consultations Leading evidence

Woman and Chi

Presiding Officer
(Judge / Magistrate)

Social Worker
Casework Alternative care Diversion Child witness support Court preparation

Judgement Sentencing

1+1=2 ABCD

Social Services
Civil Registration
Birth and death registration (MHAI) Grants (MGECW)

Counselling Services
LifeLine/ChildLine Phillipi Trust Namibia Private practitioners Church leaders PEACE Centre (trauma counselling)

Aftercare
Community support Rehabilitation Reconstruction After-trial services (alternative care etc.)

Ministry of

Ongoing Services
Shelter / Place of safety Counselling services and psychosocial support Case tracking and case management Legal support and advice Child witness support and court preparation

SHELTER
21

Nictus Build Privat Tel. 061 Emai W

Produced by th w

A PDF of this broch

20

HOW CAN I GET HELP?

Remember, you can always ask your house parents how your home is making these standards work. And you can always ask your social worker to explain them and make sure your home takes care of you the way it should. If your home isnt following a standard the way it should, you can... Report it at a house meeting Talk about it with your homes youth panel (if you have one) Call these phone numbers for help:

police emergency ministry of gender equality and child welfare lifeline/childline child helpline eenhana gobabis lifeline/childline keetmanshoop lderitz mariental opuwo oshakati otjiwarongo outapi rehoboth rundu tsumeb walvis bay windhoek

10111 (no code) 061.283.3111 061.232.221 116 (no code, toll-free) 065.264.200 062.566.100 066.253.060 / 081.269.8775 063.221.826 / 081.255.4504 063.221.826 / 081.245.8660 063.240.574 065.273.483 065.223.6056 067.300.600 065.251.199 062.523.223 066.255.209 067.223.5053 064.219.068 061.209.5226 / 081.129.3997
Chief Ovagangans parrot is hiding somewhere on every page in the comic, keeping a safe eye on the heroes. Can you find her? (Shes only there once on the double pages: 23 and 1213.)

woman and child protection units (wacpus)

MINISTRY OF GENDER EQUALITY AND CHILD WELFARE

Directorate of Child Welfare Services June 2013
Juvenis Building, Independence Avenue, Private Bag 13359, Windhoek, Namibia 061.283.3111 genderequality@mgecw.gov.na www.mgecw.gov.na www.namchild.gov.na