Refund policy

When we refund

We will consider a refund request where:

• a payment was duplicated (for example, a page refresh charged you twice);
• the amount charged was clearly not the amount you intended;
• the payment was unauthorised or fraudulent;
• a project you designated your gift to is cancelled before your gift is spent (see the donation policy).

Because gifts are applied to project work on a rolling basis, we generally cannot refund a donation simply because you changed your mind after funds have been released to a milestone — though we will always talk it through with you.

Request window

Please request a refund as soon as possible, and in any case within [Configure: refund request window, e.g. 30 days of the donation — confirm at legal review]. Requests for unauthorised payments are accepted at any time and may also be raised with your bank or mobile money provider. Nothing in this policy limits rights you have under the law of your country.

How to request one

Use the contact form with the subject “Refund request”, or email giving@buildlearnafrica.org. Include the payment reference from your receipt, the amount, the date and the reason. The reference lets us find the exact transaction without asking you for any payment details — please never send card numbers or PINs by email.

Finance review

Every request follows the same path:

1. we acknowledge your request by email;
2. our finance team verifies the transaction against the payment processor’s records and our ledger;
3. we tell you the outcome, normally within a few working days;
4. approved refunds are instructed to the payment processor.

If your gift was designated to a project, an approved refund is also reversed out of that project’s raised total, so published figures stay truthful.

Provider processing times

Refunds are returned via the original payment channel. Once instructed, the time the money takes to reach you depends on the provider: card refunds typically take several working days to appear on a statement, and mobile money and bank transfer timelines vary by operator and country. We will give you the payment processor’s reference so you can follow up with your bank or operator if needed.

Chargebacks and disputes

If you dispute a charge directly with your bank, the processor’s dispute process applies and we will respond with our transaction records. Where a mistake is ours, we would rather refund you directly and quickly — so please contact us first if you can.