Terms of use

Effective date: 9 October 2026

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern access to and use of the website https://swaeduae.ae and its subdomains (including the platform, admin and API hosts) and the SwaedUAE mobile applications for Android and iOS (together, the “Platform”).

The Platform is operated by Swaed UAE Association For Culture and Community Empowerment (“the Association”, “we”, “us”), a public-benefit association declared by Ministerial Decision No. 143 of 2019 and licensed by the Ministry of Community Empowerment (MoCE) under NPO licence 784-7-01-190143, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The Association’s name and objectives were amended by Ministerial Decision No. 25 of 2026. We operate under Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2023 on the regulation of public-benefit institutions and Federal Law No. 13 of 2018 on volunteer work and its executive regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 70 of 2020).

By creating an account or using the Platform you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

Related policies (part of these Terms):

1. Who may use the Platform

1.1 The Platform publishes the Association’s volunteering opportunities, programmes and institutional information, lets volunteers register and take part, and lets licensed organisations publish and manage their own opportunities.

1.2 You must give accurate registration information and keep it up to date. One person may hold one volunteer account.

1.3 Volunteers under 18. Under Federal Law No. 13 of 2018 a person under 18 may volunteer only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you are under 18 you must record your date of birth and your guardian’s name, phone number and consent in your profile before joining any opportunity; organisers may limit an opportunity to adults. We do not open accounts for children under 13; younger children take part only through a guardian, school or organisation. See the Child safety standards.

1.4 Organisations. An organisation account may be opened only by a person authorised to represent a licensed entity (government body, licensed public-benefit institution, school, university or company). We ask for the entity’s licence or registration documents and the representative’s name, role and contact details, and we verify them before opportunities are published. Organisations must comply with Federal Law No. 13 of 2018, Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2023 and the requirements of the Ministry and the competent local authority for their activities.

1.5 Membership of the Association (as distinct from a volunteer account) is open to persons aged 18 and over under the Association’s articles of association, the Ministry’s conditions and the fees stated on the Membership page. You apply and pay the annual subscription online. If your identity is verified (UAE PASS, or an Emirates ID verified by the Association), your membership is active as soon as the payment is confirmed; otherwise it becomes active when the Association approves the application. An application that is not approved after payment is refunded in full. Under the Association’s statute, a membership whose subscription stays unpaid for more than three months after a written warning lapses.

1.6 Family members. A volunteer whose identity is verified may add a child under 18 as a family member, with the child’s photo and Emirates ID. The child receives their own volunteer number and SwaedUAE card, takes part in an event only while the guardian is checked in, and leaves when the guardian checks out. The guardian is responsible for the child’s participation and for the accuracy of the child’s data.

2. Accounts and security

2.1 You are responsible for keeping your credentials safe and for activity under your account. You may sign in with an email address and password, with Google or Apple, or — when enabled — with UAE PASS, the national digital identity. Where the Association requires UAE PASS for identity verification, we use the user type and identity data that UAE PASS returns as described in the Privacy policy.

2.2 Tell us at once at [email protected] if you suspect that your account has been accessed by someone else.

2.3 We may restrict, suspend or close an account that breaks these Terms, endangers other users (especially children), supplies false information or documents, or creates a legal or security risk. We tell you the reason unless the law prevents it, and you may object by writing to [email protected].

3. Volunteering and organisation services

3.1 Opportunities, schedules, venues and requirements are published by the Association or by verified organisations. Always confirm the details with the organiser before attending.

3.2 Attendance. Attendance is recorded by GPS check-in, QR code or organiser confirmation. Check-in opens shortly before the start time and is accepted only within the venue radius set for the opportunity. Location is used only while you are checked in, to confirm that you are at the venue. On Android the app checks your position about every 30 minutes, also when the app is closed (a notification is shown). On iPhone the app reads your position only when you check in and check out and while the app is open; if you choose "Always", iOS also tells the app when you leave or return to the event area, without a location trail. This starts only at your check-in and stops automatically at check-out or, at the latest, 30 minutes after the event ends. There is no location tracking outside an event you are checked in to. Details and retention periods are in the Privacy policy. The organiser may also record your attendance at the venue by scanning your SwaedUAE card or by finding you by phone number or Swaed ID among the registered volunteers, and may admit volunteers who did not register in advance where the event allows walk-ins.

3.3 Volunteering hours and certificates are issued under Platform rules after organiser confirmation and, where applicable, Association review. The hours recorded on the Platform form the Association’s official volunteering record, which it maintains for the Ministry under Federal Law No. 13 of 2018. Fraudulent check-ins, false attendance, false identity and manipulated documents are prohibited and may be reported to the authorities.

3.4 Acceptance into an opportunity, waitlists, hours review, disputes and certificate issuance may depend on organiser and Association review. A certificate may be revoked if it was issued on false information; its public verification link then shows it as revoked.

3.5 Post-event reports. Organisations submit a short post-event report for opportunities held on the Platform. Reports and attendance data are used for the Association’s records and for reporting to the Ministry.

3.6 SwaedUAE card. Your SwaedUAE card is personal and not transferable. Its photo must be a live photo of you taken in the app; the Association reviews it and may ask for a new one. Use of another person’s card, or lending yours, is a breach of these Terms. The Association may replace or stop a card at any time, for example when it is reported lost or when the photo does not match; a stopped card shows as not valid when scanned. If you find a lost card, call +971 50 346 8636.

3.7 Photographs and media. The Association and organisers photograph and film their activities. By taking part you agree that images in which you appear may be published on the Platform, the Association’s social channels and reports, unless you opt out as described in the Privacy policy (“Photographs and media at events”).

4. Acceptable use

You must not:

break UAE law, public order or morals, including Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on combating rumours and cybercrimes;
upload, share or request child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any sexual content involving minors, or groom, exploit or endanger a child (see Child safety standards);
harass, threaten, discriminate against or defame anyone;
impersonate any person or organisation, or open an organisation account without authority;
interfere with Platform security, scrape data without permission, or reverse-engineer protected systems;
use the Platform for spam, unauthorised advertising, or to collect donations or raise funds — fundraising in the UAE requires a licence under Federal Law No. 3 of 2021 and the Ministry’s approval, and the Platform does not provide it;
misrepresent volunteering hours, attendance, age, identity or documents.

5. Content and intellectual property

5.1 The Platform’s branding, software, maps and Association content remain the property of the Association or its licensors.

5.2 You keep your rights in content you submit (profile text, messages, uploaded documents, event photographs) and grant the Association a non-exclusive licence to host, process and — for event photographs and reports — publish it as needed to operate the Platform, keep the volunteering record and comply with the law.

5.3 Do not post content that infringes the rights of others. Organisations are responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of what they publish, including photographs of participants (see Privacy policy, “Photographs and media at events”).

5.4 Map tiles are provided by OpenStreetMap contributors under the Open Database Licence.

6. Third-party services

The Platform uses third-party services (hosting and content delivery, email delivery, sign-in providers, UAE PASS, push notifications, WhatsApp, maps and the payment provider Foloosi for membership payments). Their terms apply to their services; the providers are listed in the Privacy policy. We are not responsible for third-party websites linked from the Platform.

7. Disclaimers

7.1 The Platform is provided “as available” for community and volunteering purposes. We aim for reliability but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.

7.2 Organisers are responsible for on-site safety, insurance where required, supervision of volunteers under 18 and compliance with the requirements of their own activity, except where the Association expressly assumes a stated role.

7.3 Information on institutional pages is general and may change; it is not legal advice.

8. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by UAE law, the Association is not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from use of the Platform. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be limited under UAE law.

9. Suspension, termination and closing your account

We may remove content, restrict features or end access for breach of these Terms, child-safety risk, legal obligation or operational necessity. You may close your account at any time from your profile (website or app). When an account is closed it can no longer be used, and the Association keeps your details and your attendance, hours and certificate records for its legal volunteering record, seen only by Association staff, as described in the Privacy policy.

10. Changes

We may update these Terms. The effective date at the top changes when we do, and material changes are announced on the Platform or by email. Continued use after a change means you accept the new Terms.

11. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates and the laws of the Emirate of Fujairah. Disputes are subject to the courts of Fujairah, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer, data-protection or child-protection channel.

12. Contact

Swaed UAE Association For Culture and Community Empowerment Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah St, Mraisheed, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates — P.O. Box 3686 Email: [email protected] · Phone: +971 50 346 8636 Licensed by the Ministry of Community Empowerment, NPO licence 784-7-01-190143.