Privacy Policy

The Shade Initiative for Cultural and Social Empowerment ("The Shade Initiative," "we," "us," or "our") is a nonprofit organisation registered in Nigeria (CAC No. 9114334), with its registered office at 6A, Ogudu GRA, Lagos, Nigeria. We are committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of everyone who visits our website, theshadeinitiative.org, or engages with our work.

This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.

We only collect personal data that you choose to provide, including:

• Contact form: your name, email address, and the content of your message.
• Donations: when you donate, your name, email address, and payment details are collected and processed securely by our payment processor, Paystack. We do not store your card or bank details ourselves.
• Newsletter: if you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your name and email address to send you updates about our work.
• Volunteer applications: if you apply to volunteer with us, we collect your name, email address, and any other information you choose to provide in your application (such as your background, skills, or CV).
• Technical data: our website may automatically collect limited technical information (such as browser type and general usage data) to help us maintain and improve the site.

We use your personal data to:

• respond to your enquiries and communicate with you;
• process and acknowledge donations;
• send you newsletters and updates you have subscribed to (you can unsubscribe at any time);
• assess and manage volunteer applications;
• keep records required for our operations and legal obligations; and
• improve our website and programmes.

We process your personal data on the basis of your consent, our legitimate interest in carrying out our nonprofit mission, the performance of a transaction you request (such as a donation), and compliance with our legal obligations under Nigerian law.

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We only share it with trusted service providers who help us operate, such as Paystack (payment processing) and our website hosting provider, and only to the extent necessary. These providers are required to protect your data. We may also disclose data where required by law.

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described above or as required by law, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. Our website uses HTTPS encryption, and payment data is handled securely by Paystack.

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate data;
• request deletion of your data;
• object to or restrict certain processing;
• withdraw consent at any time; and
• lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below.

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to support basic functionality and understand how the site is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us at:

The Shade Initiative for Cultural and Social Empowerment
6A, Ogudu GRA, Lagos, Nigeria
Email: info.theshadeinitiative@gmail.com

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.