Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

MIHLGSO is a registered Tanzanian non-profit organization based on Mafia Island, Tanzania. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to MIHLGSO, and "you" refers to any visitor, applicant, member or donor using our website at mihlgso.or.tz, our member portal or our mobile app (together, the "Services").

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you use the Services, we may collect:

• Contact details: name, email address, phone number, postal address and current place of residence.
• Membership profile details: institution, level of education, academic discipline, year of graduation, employment status, employer and gender.
• Passport-size photo, if you upload one with your application or profile.
• Account details: your email address and a password, which is stored only in hashed (irreversible) form.
• Payment and donation records: amounts, contribution type, dates and payment references that you or an administrator record. We do not store card numbers or mobile-money PINs.
• The optional message you include in a membership application, and details of donations you make (donor name, and phone or email if given), which an administrator records.
• Your name, email address and message when you use the Contact form. These are sent as an email to our info@mihlgso.or.tz mailbox, where they are kept like any other email we receive for as long as needed to respond, and are not stored in our website database.
• Messages you send us by WhatsApp, phone or email are handled on those services and are not stored in our database.
• Technical data: basic server logs kept by our hosting provider, such as IP address, browser type and pages requested, the cookies described in section 6, and your IP address, which the Contact form briefly holds in server memory (not in the database) to limit repeated submissions and prevent spam.

3. How we use your information

• To process membership applications and manage member accounts.
• To record and report contributions, payments and donations.
• To communicate with you by email, including confirmation of your application, approval or rejection decisions, payment and donation receipts, and password-reset links.
• To send SMS messages about MIHLGSO activities to phone numbers held in our member and contact lists.
• To respond to your enquiries and to reset your password when you ask.
• To keep the Services secure, prevent abuse, and meet our legal and governance obligations as a registered organization.

4. Sharing of information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these limited cases:

• With MIHLGSO leaders and authorized administrators, who need it to manage membership and finances.
• With service providers that help us operate the Services: our web hosting provider, our email delivery service (which carries Contact-form messages and notification emails), and our SMS delivery provider (MoSMS), which receives phone numbers and names of SMS recipients. They may process data only on our instructions.
• With third-party services you choose to use from our site: the WhatsApp links and button open WhatsApp (Meta), and the map on the Contact page is loaded from Google Maps. Those services have their own privacy policies and may collect your device information and set their own cookies.
• Where required by law, or to protect the rights, safety and property of MIHLGSO, our members or others.
• Some member information, such as names and contribution totals, may be shown to other signed-in members in the member portal (for example on contributor and donor lists).

5. Camera, photos and device permissions

The mobile app may ask for access to your photos or camera only when you choose to upload a profile or application photo. We use that image solely for your membership record. You can decline the permission and still use the rest of the app.

6. Cookies

We use only essential cookies and local storage: a secure session cookie (mihlgso_session) that keeps you signed in for up to 7 days and is removed when you sign out, a language cookie (NEXT_LOCALE) that remembers your language for up to one year, and a browser storage entry that remembers your light or dark theme. We do not use analytics, advertising cookies or advertising trackers. The embedded Google Map on the Contact page is provided by Google and may set its own cookies.

7. Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account or membership is active and as needed to maintain financial and governance records. Password-reset links are valid for one hour and can be used only once, and only a hash of each link's token is stored. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it.

8. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including hashed passwords and encrypted (HTTPS) connections. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your rights and choices

You may ask us to access, correct or delete your personal information, or to close your account, by contacting us using the details below. Signed-in members can also update most profile details in the member portal. You can opt out of SMS updates at any time by telling us. Account and transaction emails are necessary for the service while your account is active. Some records may need to be retained to meet financial or legal obligations.

10. Children

The Services are intended for adults and higher-learning students and are not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page with its "last updated" date, and significant changes will be announced on our website.

12. Contact us

For privacy questions or requests, contact MIHLGSO, Mafia Island, Tanzania, at the email address or phone numbers below.

• info@mihlgso.or.tz
• +255 655 942 925
• +255 786 552 590