How Mercy of Hope handles information.

Information we collect

The information depends on what you choose to do on the site:

• Contact enquiries: your name, email address, optional phone number, enquiry type, and message.
• Volunteer, partner, or fundraising interest: your name, email address, optional phone number, selected area of interest, and optional message.
• Newsletter signup: your email address and the date you subscribed.
• Online donations: your name, email address, optional phone number, donation amount, payment method, payment reference, payment channel, status, and date.
• Run for Hope registration: your name, phone number, optional email address, optional team name, entry type, optional notes, payment amount, reference, and status.

Our website and service providers may also receive limited technical information needed to deliver and protect the service, such as IP address, browser or device information, request time, and server, payment, or email-delivery logs.

How and why we use information

We use personal information only for relevant Foundation activities, including to:

• respond to questions and follow up on enquiries;
• coordinate volunteers, partners, fundraisers, and event participants;
• initiate, verify, reconcile, and record donations and event payments;
• send confirmations, receipts, event details, and other requested transactional messages;
• send Foundation updates where you have chosen to subscribe;
• maintain financial, operational, safeguarding, and accountability records;
• prevent misuse, investigate errors, resolve disputes, and protect the website; and
• meet legal, regulatory, audit, and reporting obligations.

Depending on the activity, we process information because it is needed to respond to or fulfil your request, because you have given consent, because it supports a legitimate Foundation activity with appropriate safeguards, or because the law requires it. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

Payments and donation records

Paystack processes online card and mobile-money payments. Mercy of Hope does not receive or store your full card number, card security code, or M-Pesa PIN. We receive and retain the information needed to match the payment to your donation or registration, confirm its status, issue a receipt, maintain responsible financial records, and respond to a payment query.

Direct M-Pesa Paybill payments are reconciled separately. If you ask for a receipt, we may use the transaction code and contact details you provide to locate and confirm the payment.

Who helps us process information

We do not sell personal information or share it for unrelated third-party advertising. We disclose only what is reasonably needed to operate the website and Foundation activities. Current service providers include:

• InstantDB for the website database and submission records;
• Paystack for payment initiation, processing, verification, and fraud controls;
• Zoho ZeptoMail for transactional email delivery and delivery records; and
• website hosting and security providers that keep the site available and record technical events.

We may also disclose information to professional advisers, auditors, payment partners, regulators, law-enforcement bodies, or courts where reasonably necessary and permitted or required by law.

Email confirmations and updates

Website actions may trigger a confirmation to you and a matching internal notification to the Foundation team. ZeptoMail may process delivery information such as accepted, delivered, bounced, or complaint events. If open or link tracking is enabled in the email service, it may also process IP address, browser, and email-client information.

If you subscribe to Foundation updates, you can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing info@mercyofhopefoundation.org. Transactional messages that are necessary to complete or document an action are separate from optional updates.

Cookies and embedded services

The website does not currently use advertising cookies or a first-party analytics service. Essential technologies and hosting logs may still be used to deliver and secure the site. The Contact page includes an embedded Google Map. When that map loads, Google may receive technical information and use cookies or similar technologies under its own privacy terms. Social-media links leave this website and are governed by the destination service once selected.

Processing outside Kenya

Some technology providers may process information in countries outside Kenya. Where personal information is transferred outside Kenya, Mercy of Hope is responsible for using an appropriate legal basis and safeguards required by Kenyan data-protection law. You may contact us to ask for more information about a relevant provider or transfer.

How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. The period depends on the type of record, whether follow-up is continuing, and any financial, audit, safeguarding, dispute, or legal requirement. When information is no longer required, it should be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise removed from active use. You may ask about the retention approach for a particular record by contacting us.

How we protect information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect information from loss, misuse, alteration, or unauthorised access. These include validated server-side form handling, access controls for administrative records, and reputable payment, database, and email providers. No internet service can guarantee complete security, so please avoid placing sensitive personal information in a free-text message unless it is necessary.

Children's information

Mercy of Hope works with and for children, which calls for particular care. The public website forms are not designed to collect sensitive information directly from children. A child should use a form only with the involvement of a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. Information about children connected with our programmes is subject to additional safeguarding, necessity, consent, and best-interests requirements. If you believe a child has submitted personal information through the website without appropriate involvement, please contact us promptly.

Your privacy rights

Subject to Kenyan law and any lawful exceptions, you may ask to:

• be informed about how your personal information is used;
• access personal information held about you;
• correct information that is inaccurate or misleading;
• object to or request restriction of certain processing;
• request deletion of information that should no longer be held;
• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent; and
• request a portable copy where the right applies.

Email your request to info@mercyofhopefoundation.org. We may ask for enough information to verify your identity and locate the relevant record. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

Questions and complaints

We welcome the opportunity to resolve a privacy concern directly. Contact Mercy of Hope Foundation Administration at:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with Kenya's Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

Changes to this policy

We may update this page when the website, our service providers, or legal requirements change. The date at the top shows the most recent revision. If a material change affects a choice or consent you previously gave, we will provide further notice where required.