Terms and Conditions

Annie, Malawi

Privacy Policy


Protecting your privacy is important to us. We value people – our supporters and volunteers, as well as the children and communities we serve. We are committed to using your personal information (information or an opinion which can reasonably identify you), responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains why and how we collect, use, disclose and store your personal information and what to do if you have questions, concerns, or complaints. We will occasionally make updates to this policy, so will note the date of the last change at the top of the page.

Collection of personal information
World Vision collects information about our supporters and website users, including:
  • Personal information that you provide voluntarily when registering and completing forms (such as when you sponsor a child, respond to an advocacy action or make a donation).
  • Website usage information through tracking your individual click behaviour.
  • Aggregated website traffic information collected by our web server or third party systems we subscribe to.

Your personal information enables us to:
  • Process your donations accurately.
  • Communicate with you on matters relevant to our work that you have signed up to e.g. receipt of donations, letters from your sponsored child or project updates, information on our advocacy work and from time-to-time provide you with information about World Vision that may be of interest to you.
  • Improve our website and services so we can give you a better online experience.
  • Provide you with any other services you have requested or we think you may be interested in.
  • Use the information for any other purposes for which you give us permission.

Access to your personal information
Please feel free to contact our Supporter Services Team on 0800 800 776 to talk to us about your personal information or the communication we send you. We are happy to provide you with any personal information that we hold about you at any time, unless we are not in a position to do, for example, due to our legal obligations. If your personal information is wrong, we will correct it. If you want any data removed from our system, please contact us on the number above and we will see if we are able to delete it.

If you have registered as a user on my.worldvision.org.nz, you can access and update your information by logging in with your username and password, and going to Settings (the link at the top right hand side of the page once you have logged in). Furthermore, if you have connected with your Facebook account and want to disconnect, you can do this any time from the 'Sign In & Security' settings.

Giving you control - Communication from World Vision
From time to time, World Vision will send you communications that we feel are appropriate to the nature of your relationship with us. For example, if you sponsor a child, you will receive updates about the work being done in that child's community. If you make a donation to a relief appeal, you will receive information about future relief appeals.

We do not wish to send communications to you that you do not want to receive.

Any electronic communication we send you (either by email or text) except for messages confirming a transaction with us, will always have an unsubscribe facility.

Please feel free to contact our Supporter Services Team on 0800 800 776 in order to manage the communication we send.

Complaints
If you consider a breach of New Zealand Privacy laws or your rights in relation to privacy has occurred, you may direct your query to us at email@worldvision.org.nz and we will attempt to resolve your complaint. If you do not consider our response satisfactory, you may contact the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner at its website: http://www.privacy.org.nz or by telephone on 0800 803 909

We may make changes to this privacy policy from time to time. If we do, we will post the changes on our website. If you continue to engage with us, use our services, visit our website or provide us with your information, you agree to the changes to this policy.

Website Privacy and Security


Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of information that can be stored on your hard drive (persistent cookies) or computer memory (session cookies). Cookies help World Vision understand which parts of our website are most popular, where our visitors are going, and how long they spend there. We use cookies to learn how we can make our website more useful and interesting for you.

World Vision uses session cookies, which are removed from your computer once you leave our website. These are used to determine compatibility and remember that you have logged in for the duration of your session. We require you to accept session cookies in order for you to login or make donations on our website. When you log out or close your browser the session, these cookies are deleted.

World Vision also uses persistent cookies to personalise the user experience and for tracking traffic patterns to and from this website. For more information on the tracking we use, refer to the website tracking and measurement section below.

Website tracking and measurement
World Vision uses third party website trackers, such as Google (including Google Signals) or DoubleClick, to collect information on how you use our website. The services are used to aggregate website statistics anonymously, such as number of page views, the number of unique visitors, time spent on our site, and to determine advertising effectiveness. On occasion, random short surveys may also be used to collect further information about our users - participation in these surveys will be entirely voluntary. To opt out of Google Analytics Advertising Features visit Ads Settings, Ad Settings for mobile apps, or visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/

Online Advertising
World Vision uses third party vendors, such as Google and Meta, perform ad measurement services on your behalf. These third-party vendors may also use cookies, web beacons and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from World Vision websites and elsewhere on the internet to provide measurement services, target and deliver ads. If you wish to opt out of the collection and use of information for ad targeting visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices or http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/ for more information.

Credit and debit card security
We work diligently to prote¬ct the security of your personal information, including credit and debit card information.

When you submit personal information including credit card details, a secure server is used. We protect your information during transmission by using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, which encrypts your information when transmitted over the Internet. You can check that the SSL is active by looking for the padlock symbol on many browsers.

It is important for you to protect against unauthorised access to your password and to your computer. Ensure you logout when you have finished, especially if using a shared computer.

Child Protection 
Technology has created so many new opportunities for connecting with those we love and care about. We recognize that you may be wondering why we discourage contacting your sponsored child using technology like social media sites. While we are fully committed to making communicating with your sponsored child as enjoyable and efficient as possible, our priority is to ensure their safety and privacy, as well as yours.

We would like to share with you some posting guidelines so that you can make sure that your sponsored child’s safety is not compromised when posting information and communicating on social networking sites:
  • Please only use the first name of your sponsored child;
  • Please do not post your sponsored child’s ID number;
  • Please ensure that the photos you post are appropriate and that your sponsored child is adequately clothed. Photos should not be geotagged and wherever possible, measures should be taken to prevent electronic copying of photographs;
  • Please do not publish identifying or private information about the child (e.g. the name of the location where he or she lives).
If you have any concerns or questions regarding the care and protection of your sponsored children, or other children in a World Vision project, you can confidentially talk with our Supporter Care Manager on email@worldvision.org.nz or 0800 800 776 

We appreciate your support and understanding in protecting the safety of your sponsored child.

Safeguarding Policy


Everything World Vision does is focused on one goal: the sustained wellbeing of children, especially the most vulnerable.
Central to everything we do is our commitment to first do no harm to children or adult beneficiaries, to respect the rights of all beneficiaries, and to uphold the best interests of children as a primary consideration in all actions and decisions. World Vision safeguards children and vulnerable adults; and upholds children’s rights to survival, development, protection, and participation as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

We take our responsibility to protect those we work with seriously. We have extensive Safeguarding policies and protocols in place to safeguard children and communities. World Vision’s Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy affirms our commitment to the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and their protection from abuse and exploitation. We condemn all forms of exploitation or abuse of children or adults, and have a zero-tolerance policy of incidents of violence, especially against children. 

All World Vision New Zealand staff, board members, volunteers, contractors, and field visitors have passed police background checks, including a criminal conviction background clearance; and must sign the World Vision Child and Adult Safeguarding policy, committing to preventing harm to children and adults.

 
Safe programming
World Vision offices around the world are actively involved in protecting children and adults in the communities in which they work. 

To ensure we are delivering safe programmes, World Vision works in partnership with:
  • Communities: To provide clean drinking water, nutrition, and primary health services that protect children and adults from preventable diseases and provide early treatment of illness.
  • Children: To empower children by promoting and encouraging their ability to participate and engage in decisions that affect them.
  • The most vulnerable children, adults and their families: Such as boys and girls involved in being exploited through child labour, those who survive war and conflict, survivors of abuse and neglect, and those who suffer from the effects of harmful traditional practices.
  • Other Non-governmental Organisations, United Nations Agencies: To establish a united voice on issues that affect children and vulnerable adults and to learn from one another about safeguarding best practice, programmes and interventions. World Vision advocates with governments and opinion leaders for policies, laws, and practices that strengthen the protection of children.
 
Behaviour protocols
All World Vision New Zealand staff, board members, volunteers, contractors, and field visitors adhere to safeguarding behaviour protocols, including but not limited to:
  • Create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adults.
  • Ensure all physical and online contact with children and adult beneficiaries is appropriate in the local culture.
  • Use positive, non-violent methods to manage children’s behaviour.
  • Comply with digital safeguarding policies when handling individuals’ information.
  • Report any suspected breach or incident and comply with any investigation.
  • Do not seek or conduct a sexual relationship with anyone under 18 or any beneficiary.
  • Do not sexually exploit or abuse any beneficiary.
  • Do not exchange cash, goods or employment for sex, including hiring sex workers.
  • Do not inappropriately touch any beneficiary.
  • Do not hire children in any form of child labour.
  • Do not communicate with a child through social media without parental consent.
Non-compliance with any of these behaviour protocols is taken seriously, and any allegations will be investigated by the World Vision New Zealand Safeguarding Committee.

 
Visiting Sponsored Children or other World Vision projects
We encourage sponsors to visit their Sponsored Child and welcome requests from supporters to visit other World Vision projects. 

All visits to field projects must be pre-arranged through the New Zealand office of World Vision at least three months before a visit. Due to safety issues, and to minimise the impact on programming work it is not possible to accommodate unscheduled or ‘last-minute’ visits and travel dates will depend on programming activities. 

Before any visit:
  • A police background check will be completed for all visitors.
  • All visitors must sign the World Vision Child and Adult Safeguarding policy.
  • World Vision will ensure all visitors receive appropriate information before travelling including; personal safety, guidelines for safe interaction with children and adult beneficiaries; and all relevant cultural considerations. 
During the visit:
  • All visitors will be accompanied by a World Vision staff member.
  • All visitors must adhere to the behaviour protocols detailed in the World Vision Child and Adult Safeguarding policy.
  • All visitors must adhere to culturally appropriate behaviour, including their speech, and dress.
We appreciate your support and understanding of protecting the safety of your Sponsored Child. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the care and protection of your Sponsored Children or other children in a World Vision project, you can confidentially talk with our Supporter Care Manager on email@worldvision.org.nz or 0800 800 776. 

 
Keeping children safe online
We are fully committed to making communications with your Sponsored Child as enjoyable and efficient as possible. Our priority is to ensure the safety and privacy of you and your Sponsored Child; because of this, we do discourage you from contacting your Sponsored Child using technology like social media sites. 

If you would like to share information or updates about your Sponsored Child online, we ask that you adhere to these posting guidelines to keep your Sponsored Child safe:
  • Please do not publish identifying or private information about the child (e.g. the name of the location where he or she lives).
  • Only use the first name of your Sponsored Child.
  • Do not post your Sponsored Child’s ID number.
  • Ensure that the photos you post are appropriate and that your Sponsored Child is adequately clothed.
  • Photos should not be geotagged and wherever possible, measures should be taken to prevent electronic copying of photographs.
 
Making a complaint
We take all expressions of dissatisfaction by supporters, donors, partners, government agencies, other NGOs and external bodies very seriously. If you would like to report any issue of a serious nature, regarding the conduct of World Vision New Zealand or its employees; including, but not limited to: dishonesty, fraud or corruption, bribery or suspected terrorist engagement or involvement, illegal acts or unethical actions; please use the anonymous and confidential 'Whistleblower hotline' hosted on EthicsPoint's secure servers. All investigations are treated confidentially. 

Any complaints made to World Vision New Zealand can be made verbally or in writing, but verbal complaints will be logged and recorded. Any person may lodge a complaint with World Vision New Zealand over any matter which World Vision New Zealand has control over. Our policies ensure investigations are conducted promptly and fairly. 

 

Community Guidelines


We’re so glad to have you a part of this online community of World Vision staff, donors, advocates and supporters.

Our hope is that you will find our website a place of resource and encouragement that allows you to engage in meaningful conversation with us and with others who are as passionate as you are to build a better world for children.

As we encourage everyone to express their opinions freely in informed debate and discussion, we also encourage courteous, respectful comments. Therefore, please know that we will delete and/or report posts, comments and images that we consider:
  • Obscene, profane, disrespectful or hateful in nature
  • Harassing or threatening to any person or organisation
  • Successively off-topic or repetitive comments by an individual
  • Repetitive solicitations or advertisements
  • Comments that encourage illegal activity
Comments from a Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn TikTok or Twitter profile that are reported will be managed by according to the platform’s individual community policies. 

These guidelines will be updated as necessary. Please share your questions, comments or concerns by contacting us.