Privacy & Usage Conditions

1. About This Privacy Policy

Organization Ulfah of Afghanistan (referred to in this Policy as “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to respecting the privacy, dignity, safety, and confidentiality of the people who interact with us. This includes website visitors, beneficiaries and applicants for assistance, donors, volunteers, job applicants, employees, partners, and other individuals who communicate with or participate in our activities.

This Policy applies to personal information collected through our website, online forms, email, telephone, messaging services, in-person registrations, program applications, surveys, events, and other official channels. It should be read together with any additional notice or consent form provided for a specific program or activity.

We aim to collect and use personal information fairly, transparently, securely, and only for legitimate organizational, humanitarian, administrative, or legal purposes. Where a law applicable to a particular individual provides stronger protections, we will seek to apply those protections.

2. Who Is Responsible for Your Information

Organization Ulfah of Afghanistan is responsible for deciding how and why personal information covered by this Policy is used. Questions, requests, or complaints about personal information may be submitted using the contact details in Section 17.

3. Personal Information We May Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. We seek to collect only information that is relevant and reasonably necessary for the stated purpose.

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Identity and contact details, such as name, telephone or WhatsApp number, email address, postal address, province, city, district, or area of residence.
• Information submitted through contact forms, messages, applications, questionnaires, surveys, feedback forms, or complaints.
• Program and assistance information, such as household circumstances, eligibility information, needs assessments, education, health, disability, livelihood, or vulnerability information, where necessary for a program.
• Donation and transaction information, such as donor name, contact details, donation amount, date, reference number, and payment status. Complete payment-card or bank credentials are normally processed by the relevant payment provider rather than stored by us.
• Volunteer, employment, or partnership information, such as a résumé or CV, qualifications, work history, references, availability, and related correspondence.
• Photographs, videos, audio recordings, testimonials, case studies, or documents that you voluntarily provide or that are created with appropriate notice and consent.
• Any other information you choose to provide through an official organizational channel.

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, limited technical information may be collected automatically by the website, hosting provider, security tools, or analytics services, including:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address and approximate location derived from it;
• Browser type, operating system, device type, and language settings;
• Date and time of access, referring website, pages viewed, links clicked, and general interaction data;
• Cookie identifiers and similar technical information, where cookies or comparable technologies are used.

We use this technical information to operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website. We do not seek to use it to identify individuals unless necessary to investigate fraud, misuse, or a security incident.

3.3 Sensitive Information

Some programs may require information that is particularly sensitive, such as health, disability, family circumstances, financial hardship, protection concerns, or information about children. We will seek to collect such information only when it is strictly necessary for a defined purpose and will apply additional access and security controls appropriate to the risk.

4. How We Collect Information

We may collect personal information:

• directly from you when you contact us, complete a form, apply for a program, make a donation, submit an application, attend an activity, or otherwise communicate with us;
• from a parent, legal guardian, household member, authorized representative, community focal point, partner organization, or referral source, where this is appropriate and lawful;
• automatically through the operation of our website and its security, hosting, and analytics functions;
• from publicly available sources when reasonably necessary to verify information, prevent fraud, or protect people and organizational resources.

Where information is obtained from another person or organization, we will take reasonable steps to confirm that the collection is appropriate and that the individual is informed where this is practical and safe.

5. Why We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

• to respond to inquiries, requests, complaints, and feedback;
• to assess eligibility for assistance, services, projects, training, or other programs;
• to plan, deliver, monitor, evaluate, and improve humanitarian, educational, health, livelihood, social, and community programs;
• to communicate with beneficiaries, donors, volunteers, applicants, employees, partners, and service providers;
• to process donations and maintain appropriate financial, accounting, audit, and reporting records;
• to recruit and manage employees, consultants, volunteers, and interns;
• to prepare internal statistics, impact assessments, and reports, using aggregated or anonymized information wherever reasonably possible;
• to protect children, beneficiaries, staff, visitors, systems, and organizational assets;
• to prevent, identify, or investigate fraud, misuse, corruption, security threats, or violations of organizational rules;
• to comply with applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, safeguarding, audit, and accountability requirements;
• to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims and protect vital interests in an emergency.

Where applicable law requires a legal basis for processing, we will rely on one or more appropriate grounds, such as consent, performance of a requested service or agreement, compliance with a legal obligation, protection of vital interests, performance of a task in the public or humanitarian interest, or our legitimate organizational interests balanced against the rights and safety of the individual.

6. Children’s Personal Information

We give special priority to the privacy, dignity, safety, and best interests of children.

Where there is a genuine need and a clear program or safeguarding purpose, we may collect limited personal information about a child after providing appropriate information and obtaining permission from the child’s parent or legal guardian. Where the child is capable of understanding, we will also seek to explain the collection in age-appropriate language and consider the child’s views.

Children’s information may be used only for purposes connected with improving their overall well-being, including:

• supporting access to education, healthcare, nutrition, clothing, shelter, protection, or other essential services;
• assessing needs and eligibility for a child-focused or family-support program;
• supporting social, emotional, psychological, or community well-being;
• monitoring the quality, safety, and effectiveness of assistance provided to children;
• meeting safeguarding, accountability, reporting, or legal responsibilities.

We will collect only information that is necessary and proportionate, restrict access to authorized personnel, and avoid publishing a child’s identity or sensitive circumstances. A child’s identifiable photograph, video, audio recording, or personal story will not be published without appropriate parent or legal guardian permission and a consideration of potential safety risks.

In an urgent situation involving a serious risk to a child’s life or safety, information may be used or disclosed without prior permission only where reasonably necessary to protect the child and where permitted by applicable law or safeguarding obligations.

7. Photographs, Videos, Audio, and Personal Stories

We may document projects and activities through photographs, video, audio, testimonials, or case studies for program records, accountability, donor reporting, education, advocacy, or public awareness. Before using identifiable material, we will provide appropriate information about the intended use and seek consent where required or appropriate.

We will take particular care with children and people in vulnerable or high-risk situations. We will not intentionally publish information that could reasonably expose an individual to discrimination, retaliation, stigma, exploitation, or physical danger. Where appropriate, we may remove names, blur faces, change identifying details, or use aggregated information.

An individual, or a child’s parent or legal guardian, may request that published material be removed. We will assess and act on the request as reasonably practicable, taking account of technical limitations, lawful reporting obligations, and material already distributed outside our control.

8. Donations and Payment Services

If our website enables online donations, payment information may be processed by a bank, mobile-money operator, payment gateway, or other payment service provider. Those providers may collect and process information under their own privacy terms and security controls.

We generally retain only the information needed to confirm and administer a donation, communicate with the donor, prevent fraud, and meet accounting, audit, reporting, and legal requirements. We do not intentionally store complete payment-card numbers, security codes, or online-banking passwords on our website.

9. When We May Disclose Personal Information

We do not sell or rent personal information. We do not disclose it for unrelated advertising or commercial purposes.

Personal information may be disclosed only where reasonably necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards, including to:

• authorized employees, volunteers, consultants, or representatives who need the information to perform official duties;
• carefully selected service providers that support website hosting, email, data storage, cybersecurity, communications, payments, accounting, audit, or other essential operations, and that are expected to protect the information;
• program partners, donors, auditors, or professional advisers where disclosure is required for a defined program, accountability, contractual, or legal purpose, using aggregated, anonymized, or minimum necessary information wherever possible;
• a competent authority, court, regulator, or law-enforcement body where disclosure is legally required or necessary to protect rights, safety, or security;
• emergency, medical, child-protection, or safeguarding services where necessary to protect life, health, or safety;
• another party with the informed consent or clear authorization of the individual or their lawful representative.

Before disclosing sensitive beneficiary or child information, we will consider the purpose, necessity, proportionality, and potential risks. We will seek to share the minimum information required and use confidentiality or data-protection commitments where appropriate.

10. International Storage and Transfers

Some website, email, cloud-storage, payment, or technical service providers may operate or store information outside Afghanistan. As a result, personal information may be processed in a country whose privacy rules differ from those in the individual’s location.

Where an international transfer occurs, we will take reasonable steps appropriate to the sensitivity and risk of the information, such as selecting reputable providers, limiting the information transferred, using access controls and encryption where available, and applying contractual confidentiality or data-protection requirements.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to provide essential functions, remember preferences, protect the website, understand general usage, and improve performance. Cookies are small files or identifiers stored on or associated with a user’s device.

Cookies may include:

• strictly necessary cookies required for security and basic website operation;
• preference or functionality cookies that remember selected settings;
• analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use the website;
• third-party cookies connected with embedded maps, videos, social-media features, donation tools, or similar services.

Where required, non-essential cookies will be used only after appropriate notice and consent. Users can also control or delete cookies through browser settings, although disabling some cookies may affect website functions. A separate Cookie Notice may provide more detailed and up-to-date information about the specific cookies in use.

12. Information Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Measures may include access restrictions, staff confidentiality obligations, password controls, secure storage, system updates, backups, encryption where appropriate and available, and procedures for responding to security incidents.

No website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a security incident affecting personal information, we will take reasonable steps to contain and investigate the incident, reduce potential harm, and provide notifications where required or appropriate.

13. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for any related legal, financial, audit, safeguarding, accountability, or dispute-resolution requirement.

Retention periods may vary according to the type and sensitivity of information, the duration of a program or relationship, donor or contractual requirements, potential risks, and applicable law. When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, or anonymize it.

We may retain anonymized or aggregated information that no longer identifies an individual for research, statistical, historical, monitoring, or program-improvement purposes.

14. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law and reasonable verification of identity, an individual may request to:

• receive information about whether and how we use their personal information;
• access personal information held about them;
• correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• delete information that is no longer necessary or is being used without an appropriate basis;
• restrict or object to certain uses of information;
• withdraw consent for future use where processing is based on consent;
• request removal of an identifiable photograph, video, audio recording, or personal story;
• receive a copy of information in a reasonably usable format where applicable;
• submit a complaint about our handling of personal information.

Some requests may be limited where information must be retained to protect another person, comply with law, meet safeguarding or audit obligations, preserve legal claims, or complete a legitimate organizational purpose. We will explain any material limitation where reasonably possible.

15. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites, social-media platforms, maps, videos, payment services, or partner resources. Those third parties control their own privacy and security practices. We are not responsible for external content or practices and encourage users to review the relevant privacy information before providing personal information to another service.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in our activities, website, technology, service providers, legal requirements, or privacy practices. The revised version will be posted on our website with an updated “Last Updated” date. Where a change materially affects how personal information is used, we will take reasonable steps to provide additional notice when appropriate.

17. Contact Us

For questions, requests, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our handling of personal information, please contact:

We will make reasonable efforts to review and respond to privacy requests within an appropriate period, taking account of the nature and complexity of the request.