Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Paediatric – Adolescent -Treatment Africa (PATA) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information in a safe, transparent, and responsible way.

This Privacy Policy explains how PATA collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information across the PATA website, the PATA Linking and Learning Hub, mailing lists, online forms, event registrations, learning platforms, and other digital communication channels. By using PATA platforms, submitting information, registering for activities, or engaging with our online spaces, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Who we are

PATA is an action network of frontline healthcare providers working in partnership with communities to improve HIV and related health services for children, adolescents, young people, caregivers, and underserved communities across Africa.

The website is: https://teampata.org
The Linking and Learning Hub is: https://patahub.org
For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns, please contact: info@teampata.org

What information we collect

PATA may collect personal information when you:

  • Visit the PATA website or PATA Linking and Learning Hub
  • Register for the PATA Linking and Learning Hub
  • Join a mailing list or subscribe to updates
  • Register for a webinar, training, event, or online learning activity
  • Complete a form, survey, poll, assessment, or feedback tool
  • Leave a comment or interact with content
  • Upload information, images, documents, or other materials
  • Contact PATA by email or through an online form
  • Share a story, quote, image, video, or other communication material with PATA

The information we collect may include your name, email address, organisation, job title, country, professional role, areas of interest, registration information, comments, uploaded content, communication preferences, and any other information you choose to share with us.

When you use our website or Hub, we may also collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, cookies, login activity, and website usage information.

How we use your information

PATA uses personal information to:

  • Manage website and Hub registrations
  • Provide access to learning resources, communities of practice, webinars, trainings, and events
  • Communicate with network members, partners, and subscribers
  • Send newsletters, updates, event invitations, and relevant resources
  • Respond to enquiries and requests
  • Improve the website, Hub, learning platforms, and user experience
  • Support monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning
  • Manage comments, spam detection, and platform security
  • Protect users, staff, partners, and PATA platforms from misuse, fraud, or security risks
  • Meet legal, governance, donor, and organisational accountability requirements

PATA will only use personal information for legitimate organisational purposes and in ways that are consistent with our mission, values, and accountability commitments.

Mailing lists and communications

If you join a PATA mailing list, register for an event, or subscribe to updates, we may use your information to send you newsletters, resources, invitations, announcements, and other relevant communications.

You can unsubscribe from mailing list communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting PATA directly.

PATA Linking and Learning Hub

The PATA Linking and Learning Hub is a digital platform for learning, exchange, and collaboration. When you register or participate on the Hub, PATA may collect and store the information you provide in your user profile.

Registered users may be able to view, edit, or delete some of their personal information. However, some information may be kept where required for administrative, legal, security, reporting, or platform management purposes.

Content shared on the Hub should be factual, respectful, non-discriminatory, and should not breach confidentiality, copyright, safeguarding, or other legal and ethical responsibilities.

PATA may review, edit, reject, or remove content where needed to protect users, uphold platform standards, or comply with PATA policies.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the PATA website or Hub, we collect the information shown in the comment form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.

After publishing your comment, your profile picture may be visible to the public in the context of your comment. Visitor comments may also be checked through an automated spam detection service.

Cookies

PATA platforms may use cookies to improve user experience, support login functions, remember preferences, and help with website security and performance. If you leave a comment, you may choose to save your name and email address in cookies for your convenience. These cookies may last for one year.

If you visit a login page, a temporary cookie may be set to check whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal information and is removed when you close your browser. When you log in, cookies may be used to save your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies may last for two days, or up to two weeks if you select “Remember Me”. If you log out, login cookies will be removed.

Images, stories, and consent

PATA may use photographs, videos, recordings, quotes, stories, or personal experiences for communication, advocacy, learning, and reporting purposes. Where PATA collects or uses this type of content, we aim to obtain informed consent and use the material in a respectful, safe, and non-exploitative way.

Extra care is taken when content includes children, adolescents, young people, caregivers, people living with or affected by HIV, or other individuals who may need additional protection.

If you upload images to the website or Hub, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data, such as EXIF GPS data. Visitors may be able to download and extract location data from images uploaded to the website or Hub.

Embedded content from other websites

PATA platforms may include embedded content from other websites, such as videos, images, articles, forms, maps, or social media content.

Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if you visited that website directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with their content, especially if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

PATA is not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites or third-party platforms.

Who we share your information with

PATA does not sell personal information. We may share limited personal information where necessary with trusted service providers and platforms that help us manage our website, Hub, mailing lists, event registration, online learning, data storage, communications, spam detection, analytics, or technical support.

We may also share information where required by law, regulation, donor agreement, safeguarding responsibility, security process, or organisational accountability requirement.

Where possible, PATA limits access to personal information to those who need it for a clear and legitimate purpose.

How long we keep your information

PATA keeps personal information only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required for legal, administrative, security, reporting, donor, or accountability purposes.

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata may be retained indefinitely so that follow-up comments can be recognised and approved automatically instead of being held in a moderation queue.

For registered users, PATA stores the personal information provided in user profiles. Users may be able to see, edit, or delete their personal information, except where certain information must be retained for platform, legal, security, or administrative reasons.

Your rights

You may request access to the personal information PATA holds about you. You may also ask us to correct, update, export, or delete your personal information. This does not include information PATA is required to keep for administrative, legal, security, safeguarding, reporting, or accountability purposes. To make a request, please contact: info@teampata.org

How we protect your information

PATA takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

Access to personal information is restricted to authorised staff, service providers, or partners who need the information for a legitimate purpose.

PATA’s privacy practices are guided by its wider organisational policies, including its Data Management and ICT Policy, Confidentiality Policy, Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, and other accountability policies. These policies are available on the Accountability page.

Children and young people’s privacy

PATA’s work focuses on children, adolescents, young people, caregivers, and communities affected by HIV. We are committed to protecting the dignity, safety, privacy, and rights of children and young people.

PATA does not knowingly collect personal information from children or young people without an appropriate reason, consent process, or safeguarding consideration. Where content, stories, images, or data relate to children or young people, PATA applies additional care to protect identity, privacy, and wellbeing. For more information refer to our safeguarding policy on the Accountability page.

Governance and compliance

PATA aims to handle personal information in line with applicable data protection laws and good practice, including South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and, where relevant, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This Privacy Policy forms part of PATA’s broader accountability framework. More information on PATA’s organisational policies is available on the Accountability page.

Reporting concerns

If you have a concern about how your personal information has been handled, please contact PATA at info@teampata.org. If you wish to report misconduct, safeguarding concerns, fraud, malpractice, or other serious risks, please use the reporting channels listed on the PATA website.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

PATA may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our platforms, legal requirements, organisational policies, or ways of working. The latest version will be updated on the PATA website.