General

• FunDza is a non-profit organisation that promotes reading, writing and literacy in South Africa. Its full name is the FunDza Literacy Trust (IT no 814/2011) and its office is at 85 Main Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town.
• FunDza’s services include sharing content (like stories and user comments) on its website, fundza.mobi network, Android app, app on FreeBasics.com, and the fundza.lite offline site. It also shares content on its social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
• FunDza also offers events, competitions and other services to promote reading and writing in South Africa.

Follow FunDza’s rules

• These terms and conditions (or rules) rules apply to anyone who uses FunDza’s services.
• If you don’t agree with FunDza’s rules, you aren’t allowed to use its services.
• FunDza may block its services to anyone who doesn’t follow these rules.
• FunDza competitions are governed by these rules and the conditions of that specific competition.
• South African law governs these rules.
• FunDza may change these rules any time by publishing the new rules on its website.

Age restrictions

• To use FunDza’s services, you must be at least 13 years old.
• If you’re younger than 18 or can’t enter contracts alone, you must have permission from your parents or guardian to use FunDza’s services and to agree to these rules.

Privacy and personal information

• FunDza takes your privacy seriously and takes reasonable care to protect it where appropriate.
• By using FunDza’s services, you give it permission (consent) to collect, use and share your personal information.
• FunDza only uses personal information in terms of the law, but it cannot guarantee your privacy in all circumstances. FunDza uses most of your personal information to provide its services and do statistical research on use of its services. Individual users cannot normally be identified from these statistics.
• In some cases FunDza may send your personal information to other countries, for example when you access its services through Facebook.
• FunDza may intercept any communication you send or receive using its facilities or services, if the law allows this.

Personal information that FunDza uses

• FunDza collects and uses information such as your username, nickname, cell phone number, general location, internet protocol (‘IP’) address, gender, date of birth, nationality, comments, reading history, interests, technical usage data and similar information.
• If you win a competition or submit writing for publication, FunDza may collect extra information about you, including your name, identity number, photograph, street address or email address. FunDza needs this information to award prizes or for promotional purposes, but aims to keep the information private if appropriate.

Your privacy and safety is also your responsibility

• You are also responsible for your own privacy by not sharing personal information too widely.
• If you do not want your real name linked to any writing you send FunDza, you must use a different pseudonym or ‘pen name’ (also known as a ‘nom de plume’).
• If you are under 18, you shouldn’t post personal information that can be used to contact or identify you unless your parent or guardian has given you permission.
• FunDza advises you not to post personal contact information on FunDza’s website or services, such as your cell phone number, email address or home address.

Sending content to FunDza

• You may send FunDza your original writing or comments for publication. This is called ‘content’. You should always keep a copy of any writing you send FunDza.
• You can submit your work for publication in the following ways: by email to writing@fundza.co.za; or by post to FunDza Fanz Writing, 85 Main Road, Muizenberg, 7945; or by fax to: 086 619 7713.
• You can also submit your work through this online form: click here to access the form. Importantly, this form is not hosted by FunDza but by Cognito forms but it is able to collect your data and send us your work.
• If you send us your content it may be edited and uploaded as ‘Fanz’ writing. This means that it will be marked as ‘Fanz’ work.
• If you send us Fanz work for publication you will not receive payment if your work is published.
• FunDza staff edit all work that is sent to it and they may provide authors with feedback on the work.
• Publishers may send FunDza original writing by authors they represent if they have worldwide publication rights.
• FunDza does not have to publish any content you send it.
• If you are quoting from someone else’s writing, please name the author and if possible send a link to the author or their publisher’s website.
• You should always respect the rights and feelings of others.