Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Qamar Foundation is the data controller responsible for your personal information. We are a humanitarian charity dedicated to supporting orphaned children, providing emergency relief, clean water, education, and community development programmes — primarily in Afghanistan and other vulnerable regions worldwide.

UK Office: Flat 12 Marquess House, 1 Hammond Close, Barnet, EN5 2FD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 7477 221124

Afghanistan Office: Shah Shaheed 1st Street, Kabul, Afghanistan. Tel: +93 77 722 2178

Information We Collect

We collect personal data in different ways and for different purposes. The types of information we may collect include:

• Donor Information: Name, email address, postal address, phone number, payment details (processed securely by third-party payment providers), and donation history.
• Account Information: If you register on our platform (app.qamarcharity.org), we collect your login credentials, profile details, and activity records.
• Newsletter & Communication: Email address and communication preferences when you subscribe to our newsletter or contact us.
• Volunteer & Representative Applications: Name, contact details, relevant experience, identification documents, and references where applicable.
• Website Usage Data: IP addresses, browser type, pages visited, time spent on site, and referring URLs collected automatically via cookies and analytics tools.
• Zakat Enquiries: Financial information you voluntarily provide to help us calculate or administer your Zakat.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To process your donations and issue tax receipts or Gift Aid declarations where applicable.
• To manage your donor account and provide updates on appeals and campaigns you have supported.
• To send you newsletters, impact reports, and updates about our work — only with your consent or where we have a legitimate interest.
• To administer volunteer and representative registrations and coordinate on-the-ground activities.
• To comply with UK charity law, financial regulations, anti-fraud, and anti-money-laundering obligations.
• To improve our website and digital services through anonymised analytics.
• To respond to your enquiries and provide customer support.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we process your personal data on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: For marketing communications and newsletters. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Contractual Necessity: To process donations, manage sponsorships, and fulfil commitments made to you.
• Legal Obligation: To comply with the Charity Commission, HMRC, anti-money-laundering, and other regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate Interests: To improve our services, prevent fraud, and keep donors informed of our charitable activities.

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Payment Processors: Secure third-party providers who handle donation transactions (e.g. Stripe, PayPal). They are bound by strict data security obligations.
• IT & Platform Providers: Cloud hosting and CRM services used to operate qamarcharity.org and our donor management systems.
• Regulatory Authorities: The Charity Commission, HMRC, or law enforcement where we are legally required to disclose information.
• Partner Organisations: Trusted implementing partners in Afghanistan who help deliver aid programmes, limited to what is operationally necessary.
• Email Service Providers: Platforms used to send newsletters and communications on our behalf, bound by data processing agreements.
• All third parties we work with are required to handle your data securely, in line with UK GDPR, and only for the specific purposes we define.

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and analyse site performance. The cookies we use include:

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to make donations.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law:

• Donation Records: Retained for 7 years in line with HMRC Gift Aid requirements and UK financial regulations.
• Donor Accounts: Maintained while your account is active and for 2 years after your last interaction, unless you request earlier deletion.
• Marketing Preferences: Retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.
• Volunteer Records: Retained for 3 years after the end of your engagement with us.
• Website Analytics: Aggregated and anonymised data may be retained indefinitely; identifiable data is deleted after 26 months.

Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data. You can exercise any of these rights by contacting us at the details provided in Section 12.

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request).
• Right to Rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data where there is no legitimate reason to retain it.
• Right to Restriction: Ask us to pause processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.
• We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website.
• Secure, access-controlled servers with regular security audits.
• Payment data is processed exclusively by PCI-DSS compliant third-party providers — we do not store full card details on our systems.
• Staff training on data protection and confidentiality obligations.
• Internal data access policies limiting personal data access to those who need it to perform their duties.
• While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you suspect a data breach, please contact us immediately.

International Data Transfers

As a charity operating in both the UK and Afghanistan, some of your data may be processed or accessed outside the UK/EEA. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the ICO, to ensure your data receives equivalent protection.

Children's Privacy

Our website and donation services are intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without appropriate consent, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Information about beneficiary children (orphans we support) is handled with the highest level of sensitivity and only used for programme delivery, reporting, and safeguarding purposes, in line with our Child Protection Policy.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. Any material changes will be highlighted on our website with an updated "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.