Privacy Policy

Effective date: 9 July 2026  ·  Last updated: 9 July 2026

1. Introduction

The Children and Youth Relief Organization ("CYRO", "we", "us", or "our") is an independent, non-profit organization founded in September 2021 and based at the Rabah Commercial Building, Jigjiga, in the Somali Region of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. We support orphans, children and youth through education, health, peace building and community empowerment programs.

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who interacts with us — including website visitors, members, donors, volunteers, program participants (including children and their guardians), beneficiaries and partners. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, who we share it with, and the rights and choices available to you.

This policy applies to our website at cyro.org.et and to information we collect offline in the course of our programs and operations. By using our website or providing us with your information, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use our website or submit information to us.

2. Who Is Responsible for Your Information

CYRO is the "data controller" responsible for the personal information described in this policy — meaning we determine why and how it is processed. Questions, requests or concerns about your information can be directed to our office using the contact details in Section 15.

3. Information We Collect

We collect only the information we genuinely need for the purposes described in this policy. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

• Identity and contact details — your name, email address, telephone number and, where relevant, your postal or physical address.
• Membership information — the details you provide when applying to become a member, including your chosen membership level and the reasons you wish to join.
• Donation information — your name, email, donation amount, frequency (one-time or recurring) and any message you include. Your full payment card, mobile-money or bank details are collected and processed directly and securely by our payment providers (such as Chapa and PayPal). CYRO does not see, collect or store your full card or bank account numbers.
• Volunteer and partner information — details you provide when you offer to volunteer with us or when your organization enters into a partnership, collaboration or funding relationship.
• Program and beneficiary data — where you take part in our programs (for example our data-collection studies, orphan-support work, or Youth Peace Circles), we may collect information relevant to that activity, such as demographic details, circumstances and needs. This is always collected with appropriate consent and, in the case of children, the consent of a parent, guardian or responsible authority.
• Communications — the content of messages, enquiries, feedback or correspondence you send us.
• Technical and usage data — limited, largely non-identifying information such as browser type, device type, general location and pages visited, collected automatically to help us operate and improve the website.

4. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

• Directly from you — when you fill in a form on our website, subscribe to our newsletter, apply for membership, make a donation, contact us, or take part in a program.
• Automatically — through standard web technologies such as cookies and server logs when you visit our website (see Section 11).
• From third parties — for example, our payment providers may confirm to us that a payment succeeded, and our program partners, guardians or local authorities may provide relevant information in the course of our work.

5. Why We Use Your Information and Our Lawful Basis

We use personal information only for legitimate purposes connected with our charitable mission, including to:

• Respond to your enquiries and communicate with you;
• Process memberships and donations and issue confirmations or receipts;
• Administer recurring donations and manage your relationship with us;
• Send you newsletters, updates or event invitations where you have agreed to receive them;
• Plan, deliver, monitor, evaluate and improve our programs and services;
• Produce reports and statistics for our funders and the public (in aggregated or anonymized form wherever possible);
• Safeguard children and vulnerable people and respond to safety concerns;
• Comply with our legal, financial, audit and reporting obligations as a registered organization;
• Prevent fraud and protect the security and integrity of our website and operations.

We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases when we process your information: your consent (which you may withdraw at any time); the need to take steps at your request or perform an agreement with you (for example, processing a donation or membership); our legitimate interests in running and promoting our charitable work in a way that does not override your rights; and compliance with our legal obligations.

6. Protecting Children's Information

Because much of our work directly involves children and vulnerable young people, we apply heightened care to any information relating to them. In particular, we:

• Collect children's information only where necessary for their benefit and our program purposes, and only with the consent of a parent, guardian or responsible authority;
• Limit access to such information to authorized staff and program personnel who need it;
• Never publish, display or share information, images or stories in a way that could identify, locate or endanger a child without informed consent and careful consideration of the child's best interests;
• Follow child-safeguarding principles in everything we do, and act promptly on any concern for a child's safety.

Our website is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children through the website without the involvement of a parent, guardian or authority.

7. How We Share Information

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share information only where necessary and only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers — trusted organizations that help us operate, such as payment processors (e.g. Chapa, PayPal), email and newsletter tools, and website hosting providers. They may only use your information to provide services to us and are expected to protect it.
• Funders and partners — we report to our donors and funding partners, ordinarily using aggregated or anonymized information. We do not share information that identifies you personally without a lawful basis or your consent, except where required by a funding agreement and consistent with this policy.
• Legal and safety reasons — where we are required to share information by law, regulation or legal process, or where sharing is necessary to protect the rights, safety or welfare of any person, and especially of a child.
• Reorganization — if CYRO merges with or transfers activities to another entity, information may be transferred as part of that change, subject to this policy.

8. International Transfers

Some of our service providers (such as payment processors, email tools and hosting providers) may store or process information on servers located outside Ethiopia. Where information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it continues to be protected in line with this policy.

9. Payments

All online payments and donations are handled by regulated third-party payment providers. When you make a payment, you are directed to the provider's secure checkout, and the provider's handling of your payment data is governed by its own privacy policy and security standards. CYRO never receives or stores your full card, mobile-money or bank account details. We recommend you review the privacy policy of the relevant payment provider before completing a transaction.

10. Data Security and Retention

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or alteration. These include limiting access to information on a need-to-know basis and relying on reputable service providers with their own security safeguards. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, to maintain our records, or to meet legal, audit, donor-reporting and financial requirements. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use basic cookies or similar technologies to help the site function correctly and to understand general, non-identifying usage patterns so we can improve it. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though some parts of the website may not work as intended if you do.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website contains links to external websites, including our social media pages and our payment providers. We are not responsible for the content, security or privacy practices of those third-party sites, and this policy does not apply to them. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

13. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you and request a copy of it;
• Request that we correct or update information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• Ask us to delete your information where we are not legally required or otherwise entitled to keep it;
• Object to or ask us to restrict certain uses of your information;
• Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent;
• Unsubscribe from our newsletters and marketing communications at any time, using the link in the message or by contacting us.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 15. We may need to verify your identity before responding, and we will reply within a reasonable time.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services or legal obligations. The current version will always be published on this page with a revised "last updated" date. Significant changes may be highlighted on our website. Your continued use of our website after an update means you accept the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, requests or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us:

Children and Youth Relief Organization (CYRO)
Rabah Commercial Building, Floor 4, Jigjiga, Somali Region, Ethiopia
Email: info@cyro.org.et
Phone: +251 25 871 2120