Terms of Service

1. About MotherHelp

MotherHelp is a community assistance platform intended to connect documented community needs with people who want to help. MotherHelp provides technology and processes for registering beneficiaries, documenting cases, reviewing information, publishing approved cases, receiving donation instructions through available payment providers, and recording follow-up information.

MotherHelp is not a bank, insurer, investment service, financial adviser, or government authority. Where a third-party payment provider is used, that provider's own terms, procedures and security controls also apply.

2. Acceptance of these Terms

By accessing or using MotherHelp, submitting information, registering as a community agent, creating or managing a case, or making a donation, you agree to these Terms and to applicable laws of Uganda. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

If you use MotherHelp on behalf of another person or organisation, you confirm that you have authority to do so.

3. Who may use MotherHelp

Users must provide information that is accurate and must not impersonate another person. Community agents and other users must comply with any verification, identity, consent or safeguarding requirements MotherHelp applies.

Where a beneficiary is a child or otherwise cannot provide valid consent, the required parent, guardian or other legally authorised person must provide consent before personal information or images are published or fundraising is undertaken, except where a lawful safeguarding process permits otherwise.

4. Community agents and case submission

A community agent is responsible for submitting genuine, accurate and sufficiently documented information about a person or family in need.

• Agents must explain the purpose of collecting information and obtain appropriate consent before submitting or publishing personal information, photographs, videos or other identifying material.
• Agents must not invent, exaggerate or deliberately omit material facts about a case.
• Agents must disclose relevant relationships or conflicts of interest that could affect a case.
• Agents must not request donations for a case that they know is false, fraudulent, duplicated or no longer represents a genuine need.
• Agents must cooperate with reasonable requests for evidence, clarification, follow-up and accountability.

Submitting a case does not guarantee approval or publication. MotherHelp may request additional evidence, defer publication, restrict a case, or remove it when information cannot be adequately verified or when safety, legal, privacy or integrity concerns arise.

5. Verification does not mean a guarantee

MotherHelp uses a review and verification process to reduce fraud and improve accountability. A case marked as verified means that it passed the platform's applicable review process at the time of verification; it is not a guarantee that every statement, future circumstance or use of funds will always remain accurate.

Users should consider the information available on a case and make their own informed decision before donating.

6. Donations and payment processing

Donations on MotherHelp are intended to support the specific verified purpose described on the relevant case. Available payment methods may include mobile money and other payment services that MotherHelp enables from time to time.

• Payment instructions must be followed through the MotherHelp interface and the applicable payment provider.
• MotherHelp will not ask users to disclose a mobile-money PIN, one-time password, security code or banking password to MotherHelp staff.
• Beneficiary assistance is released only through the payout destination recorded for that beneficiary. Mobile Money must match the registered beneficiary phone; bank payouts require independent account-holder matching. Community agents do not receive donor funds.
• MotherHelp does not permit routine beneficiary withdrawals while a campaign is still fundraising. Where an exceptional emergency requires early closure, the campaign is closed first and the normal verification, settlement and two-person payout controls still apply.
• A donation should not be represented as successful until the applicable payment provider has confirmed the transaction.
• Payment-provider fees, limits, reversals, delays or service interruptions may affect a transaction.
• Where a payment is unsuccessful, reversed or cancelled, MotherHelp may update the donation record accordingly.

Users must not use MotherHelp to disguise the source of funds, launder money, finance unlawful activity, circumvent payment controls, or make fraudulent or unauthorised payments.

7. Use and delivery of donated funds

Funds raised for a verified case are intended to achieve the specific assistance purpose described on that case. Depending on the circumstances of the case, MotherHelp may determine that the most appropriate and accountable way to achieve that purpose is to implement or pay for the actual need directly, rather than transfer the entire amount as unrestricted cash to the beneficiary.

For example, where a case is raising money for medical treatment, MotherHelp may use the relevant funds to pay a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, laboratory, insurer or other appropriate service provider for verified medical bills or treatment costs. Where a case is raising money to build or repair a house, MotherHelp may instead purchase approved materials or pay verified contractors, builders or suppliers for the work. Similar direct implementation or payment may be used for education, food, housing, livelihood, disability support, emergency needs or other purposes stated in an approved case.

In other cases, where MotherHelp determines that direct transfer is appropriate and the beneficiary's payout destination has passed the required verification and safeguarding controls, some or all of the beneficiary assistance may be paid to the beneficiary through the approved payout process. The method of assistance may therefore vary from case to case according to the stated purpose, the beneficiary's circumstances, verification findings, safeguarding considerations, practical feasibility and accountability requirements.

Where direct implementation or payment is used, MotherHelp may retain or obtain appropriate supporting records such as invoices, receipts, quotations, payment confirmations, delivery records, photographs or outcome updates. The aim is to ensure that the assistance reaches the intended purpose and that supporters can receive appropriate accountability information, subject to privacy and data-protection requirements.

Donating to a case does not create a right to demand that the money be handed to the beneficiary personally or paid in cash. MotherHelp may choose the delivery method that best fulfils the verified purpose while protecting the beneficiary and maintaining financial accountability.

MotherHelp may delay, restrict, review, redirect the implementation method, suspend or otherwise manage a case or associated transaction where there is a credible concern about fraud, misuse, identity, consent, safeguarding, payment integrity, changed circumstances, inability to verify the stated purpose, or legal compliance. Where the original purpose can no longer reasonably be fulfilled, MotherHelp may take an appropriate lawful course consistent with the case, applicable law, donor communications and its accountability procedures.

8. Follow-up and transparency

MotherHelp may publish appropriate non-sensitive updates about outcomes so that supporters can understand how assistance was used. Private impact links are intended for donors to follow a case without requiring a public donor profile.

Do not publish another person's private information, contact details, identification documents or other sensitive material through MotherHelp unless you have a lawful basis and the required consent or authority.

9. Privacy and personal data

MotherHelp may collect and process personal information needed to operate the platform, verify cases, prevent fraud, communicate with users, process donations, maintain records, provide follow-up and meet legal or regulatory obligations.

MotherHelp intends to handle personal data in accordance with applicable Ugandan data-protection requirements, including the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 and applicable regulations. Depending on the circumstances and the law, individuals may have rights relating to access, correction, objection, consent and deletion or retention of their personal information.

MotherHelp may share information with payment providers, technology/service providers, authorised reviewers, beneficiaries or other parties where necessary to provide the service, protect users, investigate suspected fraud, comply with law, or where the person has provided appropriate consent or another lawful basis applies.

For more information about personal data, please see the MotherHelp Privacy Notice, Privacy Rights & Requests and Cookie Policy.

10. User content and permissions

You remain responsible for the information, photographs, videos, stories and other material you submit. You confirm that you have the right and appropriate permission to submit that material and that it does not unlawfully infringe another person's rights.

By submitting content to MotherHelp, you give MotherHelp a non-exclusive permission to store, reproduce, display and use that content as reasonably necessary to operate, verify, communicate about and promote the relevant MotherHelp service, subject to applicable privacy and data-protection requirements and any consent given for the particular content.

11. Prohibited activities

You must not use MotherHelp to:

• submit fraudulent, deceptive, materially misleading or knowingly false cases;
• raise money for an unlawful purpose or conceal the origin or destination of funds;
• facilitate money laundering, terrorist financing, trafficking, exploitation, bribery or other criminal activity;
• raise funds for weapons, gambling, unlawful drugs or other prohibited activities;
• conduct political or electoral fundraising through the platform unless MotherHelp expressly enables such a lawful service;
• sell goods or services or offer an improper benefit in exchange for a donation;
• harass, threaten, discriminate against, impersonate or exploit another person;
• upload malware, attempt unauthorised access, interfere with the platform, or bypass security controls;
• collect, scrape, publish or misuse another person's personal information without lawful authority;
• artificially generate donations, views, referrals, shares or other engagement.

12. Sharing, Help Chains and Help Circles

MotherHelp may provide privacy-safe sharing tools that help a verified case reach additional supporters. A Help Chain is a sharing mechanism, not a paid referral programme. MotherHelp does not pay referral commissions for bringing donors to a case and does not operate these features as a multi-level marketing scheme.

A Help Circle allows a group to share a case and set a group goal. Circle participation does not create ownership of a case or its funds. Only confirmed donations are counted toward a circle's displayed total, and donor tips remain separate from case fundraising.

Users must not spam, harass, impersonate others, fabricate donations, or artificially generate views, referrals, shares or other engagement. Public sharing tools must not be used to expose private beneficiary information.

13. Account and security responsibilities

If you have an account, you are responsible for protecting your password and other authentication information. Do not share passwords, OTPs, mobile-money PINs or other security credentials with anyone. Notify MotherHelp promptly if you suspect unauthorised access.

MotherHelp may use technical, administrative and organisational safeguards to protect the platform and information, but no internet system can be guaranteed completely secure.

14. Intellectual property

Unless otherwise stated, MotherHelp's software, branding, interface, original text, graphics and other platform materials belong to MotherHelp or its licensors. You may not copy, reverse engineer, sell, distribute or commercially exploit those materials without permission.

15. Third-party services

MotherHelp may rely on third-party services such as mobile-money providers, hosting providers, analytics services or communication services. Their availability may change, and their own terms may apply. MotherHelp is not responsible for failures that are solely caused by a third-party service outside its reasonable control.

16. Suspension, removal and termination

MotherHelp may suspend or restrict an account, agent, case, donation workflow or other platform function where reasonably necessary to protect users, investigate suspected misconduct, comply with law, address security concerns, or protect the integrity of fundraising.

Where appropriate, MotherHelp may request clarification or evidence before restoring access or a case.

17. Disclaimers and limitation of responsibility

MotherHelp is provided on an availability basis and MotherHelp does not promise that every case will receive funding, that every fundraising target will be met, or that the platform will always be uninterrupted or error-free.

To the extent permitted by Ugandan law, MotherHelp is not responsible for losses arising solely from a user's decision to donate, a beneficiary's or organiser's conduct, inaccurate information supplied by a user, or an interruption or failure of a third-party payment or communication service. Nothing in these Terms excludes a liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

18. Applicable law and disputes

These Terms are intended for use in Uganda and shall be interpreted in accordance with the laws of Uganda, subject to any mandatory rights or protections that apply to a user under applicable law.

We encourage users to contact MotherHelp first so that concerns can be investigated and resolved where possible. Nothing in these Terms prevents a person from exercising a right or making a complaint to a competent Ugandan authority where the law permits or requires it.

19. Electronic communications

MotherHelp may communicate with users electronically, including through email, SMS or messages generated by the platform, where appropriate. Electronic records and communications may be used in accordance with applicable Ugandan law, including legislation governing electronic transactions and electronic signatures.

20. Changes to these Terms

MotherHelp may update these Terms when the platform, payment methods, security requirements, legal requirements or operating model changes. The effective date shown at the top will be updated when a material revision is published. Continued use of MotherHelp after an updated version takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms, subject to applicable law.

21. Contact

Questions or concerns about these Terms can be raised through the MotherHelp contact page.