Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you make a donation, fill out a contact form, or subscribe to our communications.
• Payment Information: When you make a donation through our website, payment details are collected and processed securely by our payment gateway provider, PayFast. We do not store your credit card or bank account details on our servers.
• Usage Data: Information about how you interact with our website, including IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs.
• Communication Data: Messages, feedback, and inquiries you send us through our contact form or email.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To process and acknowledge your donations and issue receipts
• To respond to your inquiries and provide information about our programs
• To send you updates about our activities, campaigns, and impact (with your consent)
• To improve our website, services, and user experience
• To comply with legal obligations and regulatory requirements
• To detect and prevent fraud or unauthorized transactions

3. Payment Processing

Online donations are processed through PayFast, a secure third-party payment gateway. When you make a donation, you are directed to PayFast's secure payment environment. PayFast handles your payment information in accordance with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) requirements. We do not have access to your full credit card or bank account details. For more information about PayFast's privacy practices, please visit their website.

4. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our website uses SSL/TLS encryption to secure data transmission. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience. These include:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly, such as maintaining your session and language preferences.
• Analytics Cookies: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. This helps us improve our content and services. Google Analytics collects information anonymously and reports website trends without identifying individual visitors.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

6. Third-Party Services

We may use the following third-party services that may collect or process your data:

• PayFast: Payment processing for online donations
• Google Analytics: Website analytics and usage tracking
• Email Service Providers: For sending communications and donation receipts

These third-party services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them. We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to any third party.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data
• Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Withdraw consent for receiving marketing communications at any time
• Request a copy of your personal data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, or as required by law. Donation records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years for auditing and regulatory compliance purposes.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us: