Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Dignity, Formation, and Privacy

The Root Causes Challenge is a formation tool created to help people better understand the lived reality of neighbors experiencing poverty. We believe that privacy, dignity, and transparency are essential to this mission. This policy explains how we protect your information and how we safeguard the confidentiality of the neighbors whose experiences inspire our work.

1. Simulation Participation (100% Anonymous)

Your simulation participation — including all decisions, pathways, and outcomes — is completely anonymous. We do not collect or store:

• your identity
• your email
• your location
• your organization affiliation
• any simulation decisions or outcomes

This anonymity is intentional. The Root Causes Challenge is a formation experience, not a casework system. It invites participants to walk through the constraints and barriers neighbors face daily, without tracking or evaluating individual participants.

2. Optional Submissions & Community Contributions

Some features of the platform allow voluntary contributions, such as:

• Lessons Learned Wall
• Contribute Your Own
• Community Workshop reflections
• Contact or feedback forms

If you choose to contribute, we ask for:

• your name
• your email address
• your organization or group

This information is not displayed publicly. Instead, contributors may create a public username that appears with their submissions. We request contact details for one reason: to verify the authenticity and regional context of your contribution. Poverty is universal, but its expression is deeply local. Housing markets, transportation systems, benefits access, and community resources vary dramatically by region. Verifying contributor location ensures that shared scenarios reflect the lived reality of the contributor’s community and support accurate, dignity-centered formation.

3. How We Use Optional Submission Data

Information you voluntarily provide is used solely to:

• support workshop debriefs and formation discussions
• verify regional context for contributed scenarios
• follow up on submissions when needed
• strengthen systemic advocacy
• improve the Root Causes Challenge platform

We never sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information for marketing or commercial purposes.

4. Public Display of Reflections

If you submit content intended for public display, we may edit for clarity, length, or readability. To protect privacy:

• only your public username, first name, or general region may appear
• no personal contact information will ever be displayed
• you may request removal of your posted reflection at any time

5. Protecting Neighbor Confidentiality

All contributors must remove any personally identifiable information (PII) about neighbors served during outreach or community work. This includes:

• names
• exact addresses
• dates
• medical details
• financial account information
• any other identifying details

This requirement reflects our commitment to dignity, confidentiality, and responsible stewardship.

6. Technical Data & Cookies

To maintain platform performance, we may collect limited technical information such as:

• browser type
• device type
• general usage statistics
• an approximate, coarse region derived from your IP address (never the raw IP address itself)

We do not use:

• advertising cookies
• behavioral tracking
• third party analytics that profile users

No simulation decisions or pathways are ever tracked.

7. Data Storage, Access & Retention

Optional submissions are stored securely using industry standard cloud services. Access is restricted to authorized members of the Root Causes Challenge team at Matambanadzo Studio. Submissions are retained only as long as needed for formation, workshop follow up, or community education. You may request deletion of your submissions at any time.

8. Third Party Service Providers

We may use trusted third party providers for:

• website hosting
• email delivery
• cloud storage
• workshop facilitation tools

These providers may process limited information solely to support platform functionality and are prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.

9. Children’s Privacy

The Root Causes Challenge is intended for adult and educational use. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Any such information submitted inadvertently will be deleted promptly.

10. Your Rights

You may request:

• deletion of any optional submissions
• correction of your name, email, or organization
• removal of publicly displayed reflections

Contact us at pam@matambanadzostudio.com to exercise these rights.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. The “Last Updated” date reflects the most recent version.

Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or your submitted data, contact: pam@matambanadzostudio.com