Privacy Policy
Last updated: 14 August 2026
At Maternal Village SA, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you use our website, why we collect it, how we use it and how we protect it.
Maternal Village SA operates in South Africa and aims to handle personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable laws.
1. What information do we collect?
We collect personal information that you choose to provide to us when you:
Contact us or submit an enquiry
Sign up for our newsletter
Apply to be included in our professional directory
Communicate with us about our website, resources or services
This may include:
Your name
Email address
Telephone number
Other contact details you choose to provide
Professional information provided as part of a directory application
Information contained in correspondence you send to us
We do not ask website visitors to provide personal medical or health information through our website.
Please do not include sensitive personal health or medical information when contacting Maternal Village SA.
If you require individual healthcare advice, assessment or treatment, you should contact an appropriately qualified healthcare professional directly.
2. How do we use your information?
We may use the information we collect to:
Provide and manage the Maternal Village SA website
Respond to enquiries
Manage newsletter subscriptions
Send you Maternal Village SA resources, updates and information if you have subscribed to receive them
Manage professional directory applications
Communicate with health professionals applying to or featured in our directory
Review professional information against our directory criteria
Create and manage approved professional directory profiles
Improve our website, content and services
Understand how visitors use our website
Meet our legal and regulatory obligations
Protect the security and integrity of our website and services
We will only use your personal information for purposes that are reasonably connected to why it was collected, where you have consented to its use, or where we are otherwise permitted or required to do so by law.
3. Our Newsletter
When you sign up for the Maternal Village SA newsletter, you are choosing to receive communications from us about topics such as:
Maternal health
Pregnancy
Postpartum
Parenting
New resources and downloads
Educational conversations and webinars
Featured health professionals
Maternal Village SA updates
We will use the contact details you provide to send these communications.
You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter or by contacting us at info@maternalvillage.co.za.
We will respect your decision to unsubscribe.
4. Our Professional Directory
Maternal Village SA provides an online directory of appropriately qualified health and allied-health professionals who meet our stated criteria relating to qualifications, registration, experience and/or professional practice.
If you apply to be included in the directory, we may collect information about you and your professional practice so that we can assess your application and, if accepted, create and manage your directory listing.
Public professional information
Information that forms part of your approved professional profile is intended to be publicly accessible.
This may include information such as:
Your name
Professional title
Qualifications
Professional registration information, where applicable
Areas of practice
Services offered
Professional biography
Practice name
Practice location
Telephone number
Email address
Website and social-media links
Professional photographs
Logos and other approved profile content
We will publish information that is relevant to your professional listing and that you have provided for this purpose.
Professionals are responsible for ensuring that the contact details and other information they provide are appropriate for public display and remain accurate and current.
5. Sharing your information
We do not sell or rent your personal information.
We may use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate the website and provide our services. These may include providers involved in:
Website hosting
Email and newsletter delivery
Website management
Analytics
Online forms
Other technical services
These providers may process personal information on our behalf where necessary to provide their services.
We may also disclose personal information where required or permitted by law, or where necessary to protect our legal rights, website, users or the security of others.
6. Keeping your information secure
We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.
However, no online platform can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or through our website.
7. How long do we keep your information?
We will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, to maintain appropriate records, or where we are required or permitted to retain it by law.
When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete or de-identify it.
8. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to help the website function, understand how visitors use our website and improve your experience.
Cookies and similar technologies may collect information such as your browser type, pages visited and general website usage information.
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect how parts of the website function.
9. Your privacy rights
Under POPIA, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:
Request access to personal information we hold about you
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Request deletion of personal information where appropriate
Object to certain processing of your personal information
Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent
Ask questions about how we use your personal information
Lodge a complaint if you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully
These rights are subject to applicable legal requirements and limitations.
To contact us about your personal information, please email info@maternalvillage.co.za.
You may also contact the Information Regulator of South Africa where appropriate.
10. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to other websites, including the websites of health professionals, organisations and resources we feature.
These websites operate independently of Maternal Village SA and have their own privacy policies and practices.
Once you leave the Maternal Village SA website, we are not responsible for how those websites collect, use or protect your personal information.
We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit.
11. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our website, services, technology or legal requirements.
The latest version will always be available on this page, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Maternal Village SA handles your personal information, please contact us at:
Maternal Village SA
info@maternalvillage.co.za
Maternal Village SA is committed to creating a supportive space where women and families can access evidence-informed maternal health resources, discover appropriately qualified professionals and feel connected to their village.