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Privacy Policy

How we handle your personal data

Last updated: 7 September 2026

Data controller: Smile Women of Africa, Busia Kisumu Road, Behind Hotel Rastopark, Busia, Kenya. Registration No. DSD/40/228/02/203979. Contact: info@smilewomenofafrica.co.ke. Our registration with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) is currently in progress.

1. Who we are

Smile Women of Africa is a community-based organisation working in Busia County, Kenya, empowering women, youth, and vulnerable members of the community. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal data through our website and services, in line with the Data Protection Act, 2019 (Kenya).

2. What personal data we collect

  • When you donate: your name, phone number (M-Pesa number), donation amount, and the campaign or fund you choose. Payment is processed through Safaricom M-Pesa; we receive a confirmation (an M-Pesa receipt number), not your M-Pesa PIN or full financial account details.
  • When you contact us: your name, email address, and the content of your message.
  • Automatically: basic technical data your browser sends (such as your IP address and device/browser type) for security and for the website to function. We do not use tracking or analytics cookies at this time.

You do not need to create an account to donate or contact us.

3. Why we collect it

  • To process and acknowledge your donation, including sending you a receipt and thank-you by SMS and/or email.
  • To respond to your enquiry when you contact us.
  • To keep proper financial and organisational records, including for our auditors and lawful reporting obligations.
  • To secure our website and prevent misuse.

4. Consent and communications

When you donate and provide a phone number or email, we use it to send you a donation receipt and thank-you. We will not sell your data or share it for marketing. You can ask us to stop contacting you at any time (see Section 8).

5. How we share data

We share personal data only as necessary:

  • Safaricom (M-Pesa) — to process your donation payment.
  • Africa's Talking — to deliver SMS acknowledgements, and our email service provider to deliver email receipts.
  • Our auditors or as required by law for financial accountability and legal obligations.

We do not sell personal data. We do not publish donor details publicly without consent, you may choose for your donation not to be publicly attributed, and we will still keep our own confidential record.

6. Photographs and the gallery

Our website displays photographs of our work and community activities. We publish images only where we have appropriate consent to do so. If you appear in a photograph on our site and wish it removed, please contact us and we will address your request.

7. Sensitive personal data

Some of our programme work involves sensitive information. Such data is not collected through this public website. It is handled separately under strict internal safeguarding and data-protection controls, with heightened protection and restricted access.

8. Your rights

Under the Data Protection Act, 2019, you have the right to be informed about how your data is used; to access the personal data we hold about you; to request correction of inaccurate data; to request deletion where appropriate; to object to or restrict certain processing; and to withdraw consent. To exercise any of these, contact info@smilewomenofafrica.co.ke. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).

9. How long we keep data

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes above or as required by law. Donation and financial records are retained for at least two financial years, or longer where our auditors or the law require.

10. How we protect data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including restricted access, secure storage, and encryption of sensitive information. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to safeguard your information.

11. Children

This website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children through it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date above shows the latest version.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data: info@smilewomenofafrica.co.ke, or write to Smile Women of Africa, Busia Kisumu Road, Behind Hotel Rastopark, Busia, Kenya.