Okay, let me explain the Ministry of the Colonies in a way that a 5-year-old can understand.
Remember when you play "house" or "store" with your friends? You pretend that you are all different characters and you imagine what it would be like to run a house or a store. Well, the Ministry of the Colonies is kind of like that, but on a much bigger scale.
A long time ago, the Netherlands had some places far away from their country that they wanted to control and use for trade and resources like gold or spices. They would send people to these places called colonies to help them govern and make money for the Netherlands. The Ministry of the Colonies was in charge of this big job.
Think of it this way - the Ministry of the Colonies was like a boss that helped the Netherlands to run their colonies. They made the rules and decided what things were important to do. They were responsible for making sure that the colonies were running smoothly, that the people living there were being treated fairly, and that the Netherlands was getting what they needed from the colonies.
So, in short, the Ministry of the Colonies was like a team of grown-ups who helped the Netherlands take care of places far away from their home. They made sure everyone was doing the right thing, and that the Netherlands was getting everything they needed.