Foundation for Education and Social Transformation (FEST)
Effective Date: 1st October, 2026
Last Updated: 1st October, 2026
1. Introduction
The Foundation for Education and Social Transformation (FEST) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who interacts with our organization and website.
This Privacy Policy explains how FEST collects, uses, stores, protects, and manages personal information when you visit our website, contact us, subscribe to our communications, participate in our programmes, support our work, or otherwise interact with us.
FEST is committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy laws in Ghana, including the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
By using the FEST website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
2. About FEST
The Foundation for Education and Social Transformation (FEST) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to expanding access to quality education, empowering young people, strengthening communities, and promoting inclusive and sustainable development.
Our work focuses on:
- Education, Skills and Youth Development
- Rural Transformation and Livelihoods
- WASH and Climate Resilience
- Peace and Security
Our motto is:
“Investing in People. Strengthening Communities. Transforming Lives.”
3. Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with FEST, we may collect different types of personal information.
3.1 Information You Provide Directly
You may voluntarily provide information when you:
- Contact us through our website
- Send us an email
- Complete a contact or enquiry form
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Apply to participate in a programme
- Register for an event or training
- Volunteer with FEST
- Apply for employment or an internship
- Make a donation
- Partner or collaborate with FEST
- Request information about our programmes or activities
This information may include:
- Full name
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Organisation or institution
- Job title or position
- Postal or physical address
- Information contained in your message or enquiry
- Other information you voluntarily provide
We only request information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.
4. Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the FEST website, certain technical information may be collected automatically.
This may include:
- IP address
- Browser type
- Device type
- Operating system
- Website pages visited
- Date and time of visits
- Referring website
- General website usage information
This information may be used to understand how visitors use our website, improve website performance, maintain security, and enhance the user experience.
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The FEST website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve website functionality and understand how visitors interact with our website.
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit certain websites.
We may use cookies to:
- Keep the website functioning properly
- Remember certain preferences
- Understand website traffic and usage
- Improve website performance
- Support website security
- Improve your browsing experience
Where required, we will provide appropriate information or choices regarding non-essential cookies.
You may also be able to manage or disable cookies through your web browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect some website functionality.
6. How We Use Your Information
FEST may use personal information for legitimate organizational purposes, including to:
- Respond to enquiries and requests
- Provide information about FEST programmes and activities
- Communicate with supporters, partners, volunteers, and beneficiaries
- Process programme or event registrations
- Manage volunteer and employment applications
- Process donations and related communications
- Send newsletters and organisational updates where you have subscribed
- Improve our programmes, services, and website
- Monitor and evaluate our activities
- Maintain records required for organisational and legal purposes
- Protect the security of our website and systems
- Prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access
- Meet applicable legal and regulatory obligations
FEST will seek to ensure that personal information is used for specified and legitimate purposes.
7. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Information
FEST will process personal information in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
Depending on the circumstances, we may process information where:
- You have provided consent;
- Processing is necessary to respond to your request;
- Processing is necessary for the delivery or administration of a programme or service;
- Processing is necessary for legitimate organisational purposes;
- Processing is required to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation; or
- Another lawful basis applies under applicable law.
Where consent is relied upon, you may have the right to withdraw your consent, subject to applicable legal requirements and circumstances.
8. Sharing of Personal Information
FEST does not sell or rent your personal information.
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with:
- Authorised FEST staff and representatives
- Service providers supporting our operations
- Technology, website, hosting, or communication providers
- Programme partners and implementing organisations where necessary
- Donors or funding partners where reporting requirements apply
- Professional advisers where necessary
- Government authorities or regulators where legally required
Where personal information is shared with third parties, FEST will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is handled appropriately and protected against unauthorised access or use.
9. Donor Information
If you make a donation to FEST, we may collect information necessary to process and acknowledge your donation.
Depending on the donation method, this may include your name, contact details, transaction information, and other information required by the relevant payment provider.
Payment transactions may be processed through third-party payment providers. FEST does not intend to collect or store sensitive payment card information on its own website unless expressly stated.
You should review the privacy policies of any third-party payment provider you use.
10. Programme Participants and Beneficiaries
FEST may collect personal information from individuals participating in our programmes, activities, training, research, monitoring and evaluation exercises, or community development initiatives.
Where appropriate, we may collect information necessary to:
- Register participants
- Deliver programmes and services
- Monitor programme outcomes
- Conduct research and evaluation
- Prepare reports to donors and partners
- Improve programme effectiveness
- Meet safeguarding and accountability requirements
FEST will seek to minimise the amount of personal information collected and will take appropriate measures to protect information relating to programme participants and beneficiaries.
Where photographs, videos, testimonials, or stories are used for communication or reporting purposes, FEST will seek appropriate permission or consent where required.
11. Children and Young People
FEST works with children and young people through its education and youth development activities.
We recognise that children and young people require additional privacy and safeguarding protections.
FEST will take appropriate steps when collecting or using information relating to children, including obtaining appropriate consent or authorisation where required and limiting the collection and use of information to legitimate programme, safeguarding, reporting, or organisational purposes.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through our website for purposes unrelated to our programmes.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information to FEST without appropriate authorisation, please contact us using the details provided below.
12. Photographs, Videos and Testimonials
FEST may photograph, record, or document activities, events, training sessions, community activities, and programme participants for purposes such as:
- Programme documentation
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Annual reports
- Donor reporting
- Publications
- Website content
- Social media
- Awareness and fundraising campaigns
Where appropriate, FEST will seek consent or other appropriate permission before using identifiable photographs, videos, testimonials, or personal stories.
Individuals may contact FEST if they have concerns about the use of their image or personal story.
13. Data Security
FEST takes reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information against:
- Unauthorised access
- Unauthorised disclosure
- Loss
- Misuse
- Alteration
- Destruction
However, no method of transmitting or storing information online can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
FEST therefore encourages users to take appropriate steps to protect their own personal information when using the internet.
14. Data Retention
FEST will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
The length of time information is retained may depend on:
- The nature of the information
- The purpose for which it was collected
- Programme and reporting requirements
- Legal or regulatory obligations
- Financial and accounting requirements
- Organisational record-keeping requirements
When personal information is no longer required, FEST will take reasonable steps to securely dispose of or anonymise it where appropriate.
15. Your Privacy Rights
Subject to applicable law, you may have rights concerning your personal information, including the right to:
- Request information about how your personal data is being used
- Request access to personal information held about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Request deletion or removal of information where applicable
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- Raise concerns about the handling of your personal information
- Object to certain uses of your information where applicable
Requests should be submitted using the contact details provided below.
FEST may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests.
16. Third-Party Websites and Links
The FEST website may contain links to external websites, including partner organisations, donors, social media platforms, payment providers, and other resources.
FEST is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of external websites.
We encourage users to review the privacy policies of external websites before providing them with personal information.
17. Social Media
FEST may maintain accounts or pages on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, or other platforms.
When you interact with FEST through social media, your information may also be processed by the relevant social media platform according to its own privacy policy and terms.
FEST does not control how independent social media platforms collect or process information.
18. Website Analytics
FEST may use website analytics tools to understand website traffic and improve the website.
Analytics information may include:
- Number of visitors
- Pages viewed
- General geographic location
- Device and browser information
- Referral sources
- Website interaction patterns
Where third-party analytics services are used, those providers may process information according to their own privacy policies.
19. Changes to This Privacy Policy
FEST may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:
- Our programmes and operations
- Website functionality
- Technology
- Legal or regulatory requirements
- Data protection practices
When changes are made, the updated policy will be published on this page with a revised “Last Updated” date.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
20. Contact Us About Privacy
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way FEST handles personal information, please contact us.
Foundation for Education and Social Transformation (FEST)
Email: admin@festghana.org
Telephone: 0559220868
Address: Tamale, Northern Region
Website: www.festghana.org
For privacy-related enquiries, please use the subject line:
“Privacy Policy / Data Protection Enquiry”
We will make reasonable efforts to respond to privacy enquiries within an appropriate period.
21. Data Protection Authority
FEST recognises the role of Ghana’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) in regulating and enforcing data protection requirements under the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843).
Where appropriate, individuals may contact the relevant data protection authority regarding concerns about the processing of their personal information.
22. Your Consent
By using the FEST website and voluntarily providing personal information to us, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.
Where applicable, FEST will obtain specific consent for particular uses of personal information.
Last Updated: 1st October, 2026
© 2026 Foundation for Education and Social Transformation (FEST). All Rights Reserved.