Privacy notice
Last reviewed 9 October 2026.
This notice explains what personal data Soma Squad collects, why, and what rights you and your child have over it. It applies to the website, the Soma Squad dashboards and the Soma App.
Who we are
Soma Squad runs weekly reading squads for children aged 5 to 16 in Kenya. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this notice. You can reach us at [email protected].
What we collect
Parents and guardians
Your name, email, phone number, home area and relationship to the child or children you enrol. If you give, we also hold your payment method details through Paystack, our payment provider, and a record of your gifts and receipts.
Children
We keep a child’s details to the minimum we need to run a safe squad: first name, last initial, birth year, reading stage and squad. We do not hold a child’s email address, phone number or school. A child’s own stories, drawings and recordings are stored separately and only published with your consent, as explained below.
Supporters, volunteers, facilitators and partners
Name, contact details, and for anyone who works directly with children: a Certificate of Good Conduct and the outcome of our safeguarding checks.
Children's data and consent
Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019 requires a parent or guardian’s consent before we process a child’s personal data, including photographs and recordings, and requires that we act in the best interests of the child at every step. We ask for your consent separately for each of the following, and you can change your answer at any time from your family dashboard:
- Photos in the Mission Log. If this is off, your child’s face is blurred automatically in any photo we publish.
- Voice recordings in the app. Used only for read along practice.
- Publishing stories in the library. Shown with first name only, and reviewed by a facilitator before anyone else can see it.
- Being on camera at live showcases. If this is off, your child joins off camera.
You can withdraw any of these consents at any time. Withdrawing consent removes that item from public view going forward, but does not undo something that was already shown live, such as a showcase.
Why we collect it
To run squad sessions safely, to place a child at the right reading stage, to process gifts and send receipts, to carry out safeguarding checks on adults who work with children, and to send the monthly Squad letter to people who ask for it. We rely on your consent for anything involving a child’s image, voice or published work, and on our legitimate interest in running the programme for the rest.
Who we share it with
We share only what each party needs to do its job, and we never sell personal data:
- Paystack, to process card and M-Pesa payments.
- Our SMS provider, to send session reminders and safeguarding renewal notices.
- Our facilitators and the core team, who need a child’s stage and attendance to run sessions.
- The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, if we are required to report to them.
Guest experts and partners never receive a child’s contact details, and a partner’s name never appears next to a child’s photo or full name.
How we keep it safe
Sensitive fields such as phone numbers are stored encrypted. Access to a child’s full record is limited to the facilitators who run their squad and the core team. Every time someone views, approves or changes a child’s record, we keep a record of who did it and when.
How long we keep it
We keep a family’s details for as long as a child is enrolled and for a reasonable period afterwards in case they rejoin, unless you ask us to delete them sooner. Payment and tax records are kept for as long as Kenyan law requires.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct, or delete the personal data we hold about your family, or object to how we use it. To ask for deletion, use the “Ask for deletion” link on your family dashboard, or write to us. We confirm within seven days.
Deleting a child’s details
Deleting your family’s details removes your child from future sessions and from the public library. It does not remove something that was already given to a third party for a lawful reason, such as a receipt filed with Paystack for tax purposes.
The monthly Squad letter
We only add an email address to the Squad letter once you confirm it by clicking the link we send you. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of every letter.
Changes to this notice
We will update the date at the top of this page whenever we make a change, and tell existing supporters and parents by email if a change is significant.
Contact us
Questions about this notice or your data: [email protected]. Questions about a child’s safety: see our safeguarding policy.