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Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. This policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your data.

Effective Date: 3/16/2026

We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about our policy, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please contact us at info@heart2heart.tw.

When you visit our website and use our services, you trust us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we describe our privacy policy. We seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy policy that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our Sites and our services.

We operate in compliance with:

  • Taiwan: The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
  • Philippines: The Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173).

By participating in our programs, volunteering, or using our services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal data necessary to facilitate our educational programs, volunteer exchanges, and support services. The data collected depends on your relationship with us:

A. For Volunteers (Taiwanese & Filipino)

  • Personal Information: Name, contact details (email, phone, address), date of birth, emergency contact information.
  • Sensitive Personal Information:
    • Health Information: Medical history, vaccination status, and dietary restrictions (essential for safe deployment and insurance).
    • Government IDs: Passport copies, ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) numbers, or National ID numbers (for travel booking, visa processing, and background checks).
    • Background Information: Police clearance or certificates of good moral character (for child protection and safety compliance).

B. For Beneficiaries (Migrant Workers & Students)

  • Identity Data: Name, passport number, ARC number, student ID.
  • Educational & Professional Data: School records, employment history, skills qualifications.
  • Support Data: Information regarding specific needs (legal assistance requests, health inquiries, housing status) to provide targeted aid.

C. For Partners (NGOs, Universities, Donors)

  • Organizational Data: Registration documents, representative contact details, bank account information (for grant disbursement or donation processing).

3. How We Use Your Information (Purpose)

We process your data for specific, legitimate purposes strictly related to our mission:

  1. Program Administration: Managing volunteer deployments, student scholarships, and skills training workshops.
  2. Cross-Border Travel & Visa Facilitation: Processing visas, travel insurance, and flight bookings for volunteers and exchange students between Taiwan and the Philippines.
  3. Safety & Security: Conducting background checks on volunteers and ensuring the physical safety of participants during programs.
  4. Communication: Sending program updates, newsletters, and emergency alerts.
  5. Impact Reporting: Aggregating anonymized data to report our impact to donors, government bodies (e.g., MECO, TECO), and the public.
  6. Legal Compliance: Complying with tax laws, immigration requirements, and audits in both Taiwan and the Philippines.

4. Cross-Border Data Transfer

Due to the nature of our work bridging Taiwan and the Philippines, your personal data may be transferred across borders.

  • Transfer Mechanism: We transfer data only when necessary for the execution of our programs (e.g., sending volunteer details to a partner school in the Philippines).
  • Safeguards: We ensure that any international transfer complies with the cross-border transfer restrictions of the Taiwan PDPA and adheres to the data sharing standards of the Philippines DPA. We use secure, encrypted channels for all international transfers.

By submitting your data, you explicitly consent to the transfer of your information between Taiwan and the Philippines for the purposes stated above.

5. Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with:

  • Trusted Partners: Universities (e.g., UP Open University), partner NGOs, and training centers strictly for program implementation.
  • Service Providers: Insurance companies, travel agencies, and cloud storage providers who are contractually bound to protect your data.
  • Government Authorities: Immigration bureaus, labor departments, or law enforcement agencies in Taiwan or the Philippines if required by law (e.g., for visa processing or legal compliance).

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

  • Volunteers/Beneficiaries: Data is generally retained for 5 years after the conclusion of the program to handle alumni relations and potential legal queries.
  • Financial Records: Retained for 7-10 years as required by tax laws in Taiwan/Philippines.

Once the retention period expires, physical records will be shredded, and digital records will be permanently deleted or anonymized.

7. Security Measures

We implement reasonable and appropriate organizational, physical, and technical measures to protect your data, including:

  • Technical: Encryption of digital files, password-protected databases, and restricted access rights.
  • Physical: Locked filing cabinets for paper records and restricted access to office areas.
  • Organizational: Confidentiality agreements for all staff and volunteers handling personal data.

8. Your Rights (Data Subject Rights)

Under both Taiwan and Philippines law, you have the following rights:

  1. Right to Information: To know what data we hold about you and how it is used.
  2. Right to Access: To request a copy of your personal data.
  3. Right to Correction: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  4. Right to Erasure (Blocking/Deletion): To request the deletion of your data where there is no legal reason for us to keep it.
  5. Right to Portability: To request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
  6. Right to File a Complaint:
    • In Taiwan: You may file a complaint with the relevant central competent authority.
    • In Philippines: You may file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC).

9. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO):

  • Email: privacy@home2tw.org
  • Phone: +886 2 1234 5678
  • Taiwan Office Address: 123 Xinyi Road, Sec 5, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
  • Philippines Coordinator: Unit 123, Makati Ave, Makati City, Philippines