Privacy Policy &
Donor Protection Standard

Prajha Trust ("Trust", "We", "Us", or "Our") is dedicated to empowering children with autism and developmental learning differences, along with supporting their families across India. We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right. Respecting and safeguarding the personal data of our donors, beneficiaries, special parents, volunteers, and website visitors is central to our core values.

Our Core Privacy Pledges

• Zero Commercial Exploitation: We NEVER sell, rent, trade, or lease donor or parent lists to any third party under any circumstances.
• Strict 80G Compliance: Personal details collected for tax receipts are strictly utilized for regulatory income tax compliance.
• Child & Beneficiary Protection: Photographic and clinical data of special needs children are treated with the highest degree of sensitivity and consent controls.
• Complete Transparency: You maintain full control over your communication preferences and data erasure rights.

1. Donor & Contributor Information

When you make a donation, sponsor a child, or support our autism programs, we collect personal and transaction identifiers to satisfy statutory requirements under Indian law (Income Tax Act, 1961):

• Full legal name, billing address, postal code, and country.
• Primary email address and mobile/telephone number.
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) — strictly required by the Government of India for issuing 80G tax deduction receipts and Form 10BD filing.
• Payment details processed through PCI-DSS compliant secure gateways (e.g., Razorpay transaction IDs, bank transfer UTR numbers). Note: We DO NOT store credit card numbers, CVVs, or bank account passwords on our servers.

2. Parent & Beneficiary Information

For families enrolling children in Prajha Autism Academy, Early Intervention camps, or Guidance Seva programs, we collect:

• Parent/Guardian names, contact details, and emergency contact numbers.
• Child’s name, age, gender, and relevant developmental assessment details voluntarily provided for tailored therapy planning.
• Signed consent records for media participation and event attendance.

3. Technical & Automated Analytics Data

When you browse www.prajhatrust.org, our servers automatically record standard browser communication metrics including IP address, device type, operating system, browser model, referring web page, pages visited, and duration of visit.

Direct Interactions

The majority of personal information we process is directly supplied by you when:

• Completing online donation forms on our website.
• Registering for Autism Awareness workshops, CSR events, or volunteer drives.
• Submitting inquiry forms on our Contact page or contacting our helpline.
• Submitting physical intake forms at our Chennai center or school adoption camps.

Automated Technologies & Payment Gateways

As you interact with our website, automated cookies and session variables collect diagnostic performance metrics. Online financial transactions are handled via encrypted API handshakes with certified payment aggregators.

We process personal data solely for legitimate organizational purposes and legal mandates in India:

• Processing voluntary contributions and generating official 80G tax exemption certificates.
• Submitting statutory annual statements (Form 10BD) to the Income Tax Department of India.
• Communicating impact reports, financial transparency updates, and organizational newsletters.
• Coordinating therapy schedules, parent counseling sessions, and early intervention camp participation.
• Fulfilling corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting obligations for corporate partners.
• Maintaining digital network security and preventing fraud or unauthorized access.

Prajha Trust maintains a strict Non-Disclosure Standard for all financial contributors and supporters:

• No Rental or Sale: Donor names, postal addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses are never rented, sold, bartered, or traded.
• Anonymous Giving: Donors who wish to remain anonymous may request that their names be omitted from public annual reports and wall of supporters.
• Opt-Out Controls: Every email newsletter or promotional update includes an instant one-click unsubscribe link.
• Confidential Record Access: Only designated finance officers and authorized trustees have access to donor database systems.

Working with special needs children requires sensitive consideration. Prajha Trust enforces strict media guidelines:

• Prior Written Parent Consent: Photographs or videos of children enrolled in Prajha Trust programs are captured and published ONLY after receiving explicit written consent from parents or legal guardians.
• Dignity & Respect: All media content is curated to highlight dignity, achievement, and positive growth, never exploiting vulnerability.
• Right to Withdraw Media Consent: Parents may request the removal or blurring of their child’s photograph from our website or digital media at any time by contacting our media officer.
• No Full Name Identification: Case studies and public stories omit surnames or exact residential details of children to safeguard personal security.

Prajha Trust implements robust administrative, technical, and physical security measures to safeguard your personal data:

• HTTPS & 256-bit SSL Encryption: All web traffic and form submissions are protected via industry-standard TLS/SSL encryption.
• Encrypted Database Storage: Sensitive database tables are stored in secure cloud environments with encrypted backups.
• Role-Based Access Control: Internal access to donor and beneficiary records is strictly restricted on a need-to-know basis.
• Payment Processing Isolation: Financial payment credentials pass directly through certified payment gateways (PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant) without touching Prajha Trust servers.

Cookies are small text files stored on your browser to enhance website navigation and analyze traffic patterns.

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for fundamental site performance, layout rendering, and secure form submissions.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us measure visitor counts, popular pages, and user journeys using anonymous aggregate data.
• Managing Preferences: You can set your browser to reject cookies or notify you when cookies are sent. Disabling essential cookies may affect certain interactive features.

We may share necessary data with trusted service partners solely to carry out operational functions on our behalf:

All third-party partners are contractually bound to maintain strict confidentiality and are prohibited from using your personal data for any purpose other than providing services to Prajha Trust.

• Payment Gateway Aggregators (e.g., Razorpay, HDFC Bank) for secure payment clearing.
• Auditors and Legal Advisors for statutory compliance under Indian law.
• Cloud Infrastructure Providers (e.g., Vercel, AWS) for website hosting and file storage.
• Transactional Email & SMS Services for delivering tax receipts and notification alerts.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Financial & Tax Records: Donation transaction records, 80G copies, and payment ledgers are retained for a minimum of 7 to 10 financial years in compliance with Indian Income Tax statutory requirements.
• General Inquiries & Correspondence: Non-financial inquiries are retained for up to 3 years or until resolved.
• Marketing & Newsletter Subscriptions: Retained until you request unsubscription or deletion.

Under applicable privacy laws, you possess specific rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information held about you by Prajha Trust.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete details.
• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Request deletion of your personal records, subject to statutory tax retention obligations.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke previously granted consent for marketing communications or photo publication at any time.
• Right to File Grievance: Submit a formal privacy query or grievance to our designated Data Nodal Officer.

If you have questions, feedback, or formal grievances concerning this Privacy Policy or your personal data handling, please contact our designated Privacy Officer: