Terms and Conditions

Effective date: July 5, 2025 · Last updated: November 7, 2026

1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of sorobiyoruba.com and the Soro learning service (the "Service"), operated by Soro Africa Limited("Soro," "we," "us," "our"), a company registered in Nigeria (Company Registration No. 9597096), based in Lagos, Nigeria.

By creating an account, enrolling in a plan, or otherwise using the Service, you ("you," "learner," "user") agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. About the Service

Soro provides live, small-group, adult-focused Yorùbá conversation classes for heritage speakers who understand the language but want to build fluency in speaking it. Classes are conducted in small learning groups called Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀, led by trained facilitators called Atọ́nísọ̀nà (guides).

The Service also includes Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀, a free voice-note feature where members find a practice buddy and talk in Yorùbá, with or without a paid plan. Special rules for it are in Section 12.

3. Eligibility

The Service is intended for adults aged 18 and above. When you create an account you confirm that you are 18 or over, and by using Soro you confirm that you meet this requirement. Soro is designed around heritage-speaker adult learners and is not structured for children. Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ is open to adults anywhere in the world. If we find that someone is under 18, we may close their account.

4. Plans and Credits

Soro currently offers the following plans:

• Credits are consumed per class occurrence, starting from the date of your first scheduled class, not from the date of purchase.
• The Try plans (Group, Personal and Couple) are available to each user only once in total. You may not purchase or use a Try plan more than once, whether under the same or a different account.
• Couple plans are paid for by one person, who may invite one partner by a personal link. The partner joins free, takes the second place in the class and shares the credits that remain. The class goes ahead at its booked time whether or not the partner has joined. The link works once and expires after 30 days.
• Anyone can create a free account and use Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ without buying a plan. A plan is needed to join a live class, its class chat and its assignments.
• Prices are listed in Nigerian Naira (₦) and are subject to change; any price change will not affect a plan you have already paid for.
• We reserve the right to introduce, modify, or retire plans at our discretion, with reasonable notice for existing subscribers.

5. Booking, Scheduling, and Quorum

• Each Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ requires a minimum of 3 learners (quorum) to run.
• If a session does not meet quorum, Soro may reschedule or cancel that session. We will notify you as early as possible if this happens.
• If a group has not reached quorum within 7 days, our team will reach out to you so you can choose an available slot in the next forming group.
• Group classes are arranged by level: Má Bẹ̀rù, Má Tijú, Gbìyànjú or Jinlẹ̀. You choose your own level, and you can join a group at that level. Our team may move you to a different group where it suits you better.
• Class times are set in Nigeria time (West Africa Time). We show them in the time zone saved on your account, which you can change in your settings. For Personal and Couple classes you may move a single session to a time your guide has opened, with at least 24 hours' notice.
• Once a group is running, it carries on if a member leaves, for example when their credits run out, while we offer the empty place to another learner.
• Once you have selected a class schedule, it is fixed and cannot be changed by you. If you are unable to attend, please see our Attendance Policy (Section 6).
• When you select a schedule/slot, it is held for you for 30 minutes pending payment. If payment is not completed within this window, the slot will be released and made available to other learners. If this happens, you will need to select another available slot or wait until a similar schedule becomes available again.
• Guide (Atọ́nísọ̀nà) assignment is currently done manually by our team based on availability and group fit.
• Guides are not fixed to a given Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀. Different Atọ́nísọ̀nà may take your group's sessions at different times, depending on availability.
• Communication for your Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ (including scheduling updates, class-related messages, lessons and assignments) takes place in a class chat inside your Soro account. The chat is open to the learners who hold a place in your group, your Atọ́nísọ̀nà (guide) and the Soro team. Your first name is shown on the messages you post. Photos and voice notes sent in the chat are removed from the chat after 10 days (the message itself stays, marked as no longer available) and moved to a private Soro archive without your name, where they may be used for research and to improve our teaching, as described in our Privacy Policy. Please keep the chat respectful and relevant to your class. Soro may remove messages and may stop a learner from posting where this is not respected. Access to the chat ends when you no longer hold a place in the group.
• If your credits run out, you will be notified by email and given 24 hours to renew before losing your place. If you do not renew within that window, you will be removed from your Ẹgbẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ (including its class chat) so that your seat can be offered to another learner. Your account stays open as a free member, and if your seat is still empty when you top up, you can return to it. Renewing at any point before the 24 hours are up keeps your place and requires no further action from you.

6. Attendance Policy

• Soro currently operates a no makeup class policy. If you miss a scheduled class, that credit is considered used and cannot be rescheduled or refunded, except where the session was cancelled or rescheduled by Soro itself (see Section 5).
• We encourage you to plan around your scheduled sessions to get the most value from your credits.

7. Session Recording

• Soro records class sessions for quality assurance, guide training, and service improvement purposes.
• By joining a Soro class, you consent to being recorded as part of the group session. Recordings are stored securely and are not made public or shared outside Soro's internal use without your consent.
• If you have concerns about being recorded, please contact us at speak -at- sorobiyoruba.com before joining a session.
• Voice notes you send in Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ are not class recordings. They are covered by Section 12 and our Privacy Policy.

8. Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. If you suspect unauthorized access to your account, notify us immediately at speak -at- sorobiyoruba.com.

9. Payments

• All payments are processed securely through our third-party payment processor, Paystack. Soro does not collect or store your full card details.
• As an alternative, payments may also be made by direct bank transfer to Soro Africa Limited's designated Moniepoint account, details of which will be provided to you during checkout.
• For transfer payments, access to your plan and credits will only be activated once you have sent proof of payment and our team has manually confirmed receipt. This confirmation may take longer than instant payments made through Paystack.
• You are responsible for ensuring your payment information is accurate and that you are authorized to use the payment method provided.
• Failed or reversed payments may result in suspension of access to your plan until resolved.

10. Cancellations and Refunds

Refunds are only available for the Try Soro plan. To request a refund, you must email payments@sorobiyoruba.com within 24 hours of completing your class. Refund requests made outside this window, or for the Monthly or Quarterly plans, will not be honoured. Refunds, where granted, are for the full Try Soro amount only; partial refunds are not offered.

11. Code of Conduct

By joining a Soro class, you agree to:

• Treat fellow learners and Atọ́nísọ̀nà guides with respect
• Attend sessions in good faith and participate constructively
• Avoid disruptive, abusive, or discriminatory behaviour during sessions

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access for any user who violates this code of conduct, without refund of unused credits, where the violation is serious or repeated.

12. Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ (free voice-note buddy app)

Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀("friend, speak") is a free part of the Service where members find a buddy at their level and practise Yorùbá by sending each other short voice notes. These rules apply to it, together with the rest of these Terms.

• Your profile. To take part you make a profile with your first name, your Yorùbá level, and a short hello recorded in your own voice. You may also add your city or country, why you are learning, and when you like to talk. If you give your gender it is private and is only used so that other members can filter. Other members can see and hear your profile when they browse. You choose what to share and can change it at any time.
• Matching. Nobody can send you voice notes until you have both said yes. You can accept or ignore any hello, and you can block anyone at any time. There is no fixed limit on how many hellos you may send, but repeated unwanted hellos may lead us to restrict your account.
• Rooms. Rooms are open spaces where any member can hear and join in, at any level. Anything you say in a room can be heard by every member who opens that room, with your level shown beside it. Do not say anything in a room that you would not want a stranger to hear.
• What is allowed. Religion and politics may be discussed respectfully. You must not send voice notes that contain insults, threats, sexual language, body shaming, hate, harassment or other abuse. You must not share another person's voice, details or private messages without their permission, and you must not use Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ to sell, advertise or recruit.
• Reports and moderation. Any voice note or profile can be reported. A reported note is hidden while we look at it once enough people have reported it (two different people in a room, or the other person in a one-to-one chat). We aim to review every report within 24 hours. Soro may delete a voice note, mute you so that you can listen but not send, or remove you from Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀. We do not listen to ordinary buddy chats or rooms as a matter of course. We hear a voice note when it is reported, or where the law requires.
• Your responsibility. You are responsible for what you say. A voice note is the personal view of the member who sends it, and Soro does not endorse it. Members are not Soro staff, and apart from the 18+ confirmation Soro cannot check who a member is. Take care before sharing personal details or arranging to meet anyone.
• Guides. An Atọ́nísọ̀nà (guide) may choose to take part in Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀ as an ordinary member. It is their choice, it is not part of their work for Soro, and they are not required to reply to anyone. A guide cannot see how their own learners use Ọ̀rẹ́ Sọ̀rọ̀. Once a guide has turned their profile on, it stays on.
• How long voice notes are kept. Voice notes stay in your chats and rooms for 60 days. After that they no longer appear in the app, and a copy moves to Soro's private archive, without your name, as described in our Privacy Policy.
• Streaks. A streak counts the days in a row you send a voice note to a buddy, with one rest day each week. Streaks are only there to encourage you, and have no cash value.

13. Atọ́nísọ̀nà (Guides)

Our guides are engaged as independent contractors under separate agreements with Soro Africa Limited. They are trained to deliver Soro's session framework, but Soro does not guarantee a specific outcome, fluency level, or timeline for any individual learner, as language acquisition varies by person.

14. Intellectual Property

All course materials, session frameworks, brand assets, and content provided through Soro remain the intellectual property of Soro Africa Limited. You may not copy, redistribute, or use our materials for commercial purposes without our written permission.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Nigerian law, Soro Africa Limited shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the amount you paid for the plan giving rise to the claim.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be excluded under Nigerian law.

16. Force Majeure

If a scheduled class cannot hold due to circumstances beyond Soro's reasonable control (including, but not limited to, internet or power outages, technical failures, or guide unavailability), Soro will arrange a retake of that class at the earliest available opportunity. Where a retake is offered under this clause, this does not entitle you to a refund of the affected credit.

17. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or misuse the Service. You may delete your account at any time from your account settings, or by contacting us. When you delete it, your login and personal details are removed and you leave your class. We keep a record of your past payments, without your name, because the law and our accounts require it. Unused class credits and unwithdrawn referral earnings are lost and are not refunded, so please withdraw any referral earnings first. If you choose to delete your chat messages and voice notes as well, they are removed; if you do not, they stay and are shown as "Deleted account". Deleting your account does not entitle you to a refund of used or unused credits.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. We will indicate the "Last updated" date above whenever changes are made.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Soro Africa Limited regarding your use of the Service, and supersede any prior agreements or understandings between you and Soro, whether written or oral.

20. Referral Program

• Soro operates an optional referral program. Anyone, including non-learners, may sign up to receive a personal referral code and link.
• If someone you refer signs up and makes their first successful payment on the Monthly, Quarterly, or Couple's plan, you earn a one-time cash commission of 10% of that payment. Referrals are not eligible for a commission on the Try Soro plan.
• A commission is only ever paid on a referred person's first successful payment. Later renewals or upgrades by the same person do not generate a further commission.
• You may not refer yourself. Referral codes or links used on an account that matches your own email address or phone number will not earn a commission.
• If a referred payment is refunded or reversed, the associated commission will be deducted from your referral wallet, even if this results in a negative balance to be offset against future earnings.
• Once your referral wallet holds at least ₦10,000, you may request a cash withdrawal to a bank account you provide, or redeem your full wallet balance toward a Monthly or Quarterly plan credit for yourself, provided the balance covers the full price of that plan. Withdrawals are reviewed and paid out manually by our team.
• We reserve the right to withhold, reverse, or forfeit commissions, and to suspend or terminate a person's participation in the referral program, in cases of suspected fraud, abuse, or violation of these Terms.
• We may modify, pause, or discontinue the referral program, including its commission rate or terms, at any time. Commissions already earned before such a change will not be affected.

21. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall first be addressed through good-faith negotiation, and if unresolved, submitted to the courts of Nigeria.

22. Contact Us

Soro Africa Limited
Lagos, Nigeria
Email: speak -at- sorobiyoruba.com