Privacy Policy
Summary: We respect your privacy. We collect only the information you voluntarily submit or that is automatically gathered through essential third-party services. We do not sell your personal data. This policy complies with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI Act) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
1. Who We Are
Prajna Institute of Alternative Healing (“the Institute”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is South Africa’s pioneering academy for internationally accredited degrees and short courses in Alternative Complementary Healing Energy (A.C.H.E.). We also operate the Manjushri Healing Center.
Data Controller / Responsible Party (POPI Act):
Bavisha Naransamy
Email: admin@manjushrihealing.com
Phone / WhatsApp: +27 83 388 7969
Website: www.prajnainstitute.co.za
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Contact forms: name, email address, phone number, and the content of your message.
- Enrolment & applications: name, date of birth, identification details, academic history, and payment information (processed securely by our payment partner; we do not store card details).
- Email correspondence: any personal data you include when contacting us via email or WhatsApp.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Usage data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and time/date of visit — collected via Google Analytics only with your consent.
- Cookies & similar technologies: see Section 5 for full details.
- Security data: Cloudflare Turnstile and Google reCAPTCHA may collect behavioural signals to distinguish humans from bots.
3. Legal Basis for Processing
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries and contact form submissions | Legitimate interest / contract performance |
| Processing enrolments and course administration | Contract performance |
| Sending course updates and newsletters | Consent (opt-in required) |
| Website analytics & performance monitoring | Consent (cookie banner) |
| Security (spam protection, fraud prevention) | Legitimate interest |
| Compliance with legal obligations | Legal obligation |
4. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may process personal data on our behalf or independently:
| Service | Provider | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Google LLC | Website traffic analysis (requires consent) | Google Privacy |
| Google reCAPTCHA | Google LLC | Bot and spam protection on forms | Google Privacy |
| Google Ads / Marketing | Google LLC | Advertising (disabled by default; requires consent) | Google Privacy |
| Cloudflare Turnstile | Cloudflare, Inc. | Bot protection and security verification | Cloudflare Privacy |
| Cloudinary | Cloudinary Ltd. | Image and media delivery | Cloudinary Privacy |
| WordPress / Site Kit | Automattic / Google | CMS platform and Google service integration | Automattic Privacy |
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
5. Cookies Policy
Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We classify them as follows:
| Category | Examples | Consent Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | Session cookies, security tokens, cookie-consent preference (30-day expiry) | No |
| Functional / Preferences | Language settings, accessibility preferences | Yes |
| Statistics / Analytics | Google Analytics (_ga, _gid) | Yes |
| Marketing | Google Ads conversion tracking | Yes |
Non-essential cookies are disabled by default. You can update your preferences at any time via our cookie banner or by adjusting your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.
6. How We Store and Protect Your Data
- Our website does not directly store personal data on its own servers beyond what is strictly necessary for operation.
- Data submitted through forms is transmitted via encrypted (HTTPS/TLS) connections.
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only.
- We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law (e.g., financial records for 5 years under South African tax legislation).
7. Cross-Border Transfers
Some of our third-party service providers (e.g., Google, Cloudflare) are located outside South Africa. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure adequate protections are in place consistent with the POPI Act Section 72 requirements, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards.
8. Your Rights
Under the POPI Act (and GDPR for EU data subjects), you have the right to:
- Access – request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction – request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Deletion – request erasure of your personal data where we no longer have a lawful basis to retain it.
- Object – object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Withdraw Consent – withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent (this does not affect past processing).
- Data Portability – receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format (GDPR, where applicable).
- Lodge a Complaint – if you are in South Africa, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator at complaints.IR@justice.gov.za.
To exercise any of the above rights, contact us at: admin@manjushrihealing.com or +27 83 388 7969. We will respond within 30 days.
9. Children’s Privacy
Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can delete it.
10. Links to External Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., accreditation bodies, social media platforms). This Privacy Policy applies only to our website. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date at the top. For significant changes, we will provide a more prominent notice. Continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out to our responsible party:
Bavisha Naransamy
Prajna Institute of Alternative Healing / Manjushri Healing Center
Email: admin@manjushrihealing.com
General enquiries: info@prajnainstitute.co.za
Phone / WhatsApp: +27 83 388 7969
Website: www.prajnainstitute.co.za