Privacy policy
How Dzaleka Online Services collects, uses and protects your information.
Last updated: 20 November 2025
At Dzaleka Online Services, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. Guided by humanitarian "Do No Harm" principles, this Privacy Policy explains our strict practices regarding data collection, use, and protection for all vulnerable individuals in the camp.
Anonymity & pseudonyms
We understand that many members of the Dzaleka community face specific protection risks. You have the absolute right to use pseudonyms (fake names) or remain anonymous when interacting with community features on our platform, provided you do not violate our Terms and Conditions. We will never force you to disclose your real legal identity unless strictly required for specific operational features.
Information we collect
Personal information
- Name and contact information
- Email address
- Organization affiliation (if applicable)
- Content you submit to our platform
- Profile information (optional)
- Location data (if permitted)
- Protection of Minors: We do not knowingly collect identifying information from unaccompanied minors or children without explicit guardianship consent.
Technical information
- Device information
- Browser type and version
- Access times and dates
- Pages visited
- IP address
CMS statistics and short links
Our private CMS records page paths, broad device and browser types, referring website domains, campaign labels, short-link clicks and counts of form starts and saved submissions. It does not copy your form answers, contact details or full referring URLs into these statistics. It uses a daily changing hash to estimate visitors, rather than storing raw IP addresses or a persistent visitor ID.
Statistics respect Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. Event records are retained for 90 days by default; administrators may choose 30, 90, 180 or 365 days. An optional browser-exclusion cookie stores only your preference to be excluded. Short-link definitions remain available independently of statistics retention.
How we use your information
Primary uses
- Provide and maintain our services
- Process resource submissions
- Facilitate community interactions
- Manage event registrations
Secondary uses
- Improve platform features
- Send community updates
- Research and analytics
- Community engagement
Third-party data sharing
We do not, and will never, sell your personal data. Because of the sensitive nature of refugee populations, our data sharing policies are extremely strict:
- No Unauthorized Sharing: We do not share your individual profiles or activity with UNHCR, the Government of Malawi, or NGOs without your explicit, informed consent.
- Life-Saving Interventions: In extreme circumstances where there is an immediate threat to life or severe protection risks (such as human trafficking), we may disclose specific information to protection partners.
- Aggregate Data: We may share strictly anonymous, non-identifiable statistics with partners for funding or operational reporting.
- Form Delivery: We use Formspree, a third-party form service, to receive form submissions. Service registrations, service corrections, event proposals and job submissions are also stored in our private EmDash editorial inbox. Registrations and proposals become unpublished drafts; an editor reviews them before publication. Corrections do not automatically change a public listing. It handles the submission on our behalf and is not a partner we share data with. If you would rather not use a form, the contact details on our contact page reach us directly.
Data protection measures
We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your personal information:
- Encrypted data storage and transmission
- Regular security assessments and updates
- Strict access controls and authentication
- Regular data backups and recovery procedures
Your privacy rights
As a user of Dzaleka Online Services, you have the right to:
Access your personal data
Request data corrections
Delete your account
Control communications
Request complete data deletion
Community guidelines
To maintain a safe and respectful community environment, we expect all users to:
- Respect other community members' privacy
- Share appropriate and relevant content
- Follow our content guidelines
Contact information
For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your privacy rights, contact us:
- Email: info@mail.dzaleka.com
- Address: Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi
Updates to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will:
- Notify you via email or platform announcement
- Update the "Last modified" date at the top of this policy
- Obtain your consent when required by law