At African Adventures Foundation, we are committed to protecting the personal information entrusted to us. We believe in being open and transparent with our supporters, which is why we are informing you of a recent cyber security incident involving Beacon, the donor management platform we use to manage our supporter records.
What happened?
On 3rd August 2026, Beacon notified us that it had experienced a cyber security incident involving unauthorised access to systems that process data on behalf of its customers.
Beacon immediately engaged independent cyber security specialists to investigate and contain the incident. Their investigation has confirmed that copies of database backups were likely accessed and downloaded by an unauthorised third party.
Although the data stored by Beacon was encrypted, Beacon has advised us that, based on the evidence available, it is possible that the unauthorised third party was able to decrypt the data before copying it.
What information may have been affected?
At the time of writing, Beacon has not been able to confirm exactly which customer records were accessed. In line with advice from Beacon and good data protection practice, we are therefore treating this incident as though donor information held within our Beacon account may have been affected.
Depending on the information you have shared with us over time, this could include:
- Name
- Organisation name (where applicable)
- Postal address
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Records relating to previous donations, grants or funding provided to African Adventures Foundation
We would like to reassure our supporters that Beacon does not store bank account details, payment card information or other financial payment data. Payment information is processed and stored securely by our separate payment providers and has not been affected by this incident.
Please note that we do not hold all of the above information for every supporter.
What have we done?
As soon as we were informed of the incident, we took immediate action to secure our Beacon account and have continued to work closely with Beacon throughout its investigation.
In accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations, we have:
- Implemented all security measures recommended by Beacon.
- Reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Case Number – IC-550242-L5V6.
- Reported the incident to the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- Contacted individuals and organisations whose personal data may have been affected.
We will continue to monitor the situation and will take any further action recommended by Beacon, the ICO or other relevant authorities.
What should you do?
At present, we are not aware of any evidence that personal information has been misused as a result of this incident. However, as a precaution, we encourage everyone to remain vigilant.
Please be cautious of any unexpected emails, telephone calls or messages claiming to be from African Adventures Foundation or requesting personal or financial information. If you receive anything suspicious, do not respond or click on any links. If you believe you may have been targeted by fraud, you should report it to Action Fraud.
Your information and your rights
We understand that incidents like this can be concerning. We take our responsibilities under UK data protection law seriously and remain committed to protecting your personal information.
If you have any questions about this incident or the personal information we hold about you, please contact us at foundation@africanadventures.co.uk
You also have the right to request that we erase your personal data where applicable. If you would like us to remove your information from our Beacon database, please contact us and we will respond to your request in accordance with UK data protection legislation.
Thank you
We sincerely apologise for any concern this incident may cause.
The trust of our supporters is fundamental to our work, and we remain committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently.
Thank you for your continued support of African Adventures Foundation. Your generosity enables us to continue creating life-changing opportunities for children and communities, and we are grateful for your ongoing confidence in our work.
