6th Rugby Explorer Young Leaders are attempting a sponsored 24-hour Mapathon!

6th Rugby volunteer mappers will help to create free-to-use maps. Adding visible data to the digital images leading to improved maps. These will support the Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), team in a variety of activities: from security management, over disease outbreak management to the planning of primary health care activities.

Even though satellite imagery can show the earth’s surface, some of the most crisis-prone and vulnerable parts of the world remain unmapped. Missing Maps aims to help map these areas to assist Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the British Red Cross, the American Red Cross and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) with their critical work. The maps that are created are available for use by everyone, everywhere. These not only benefit organisations like MSF and the Red Cross but also local people; helping them to have something so fundamental that most of the world takes for granted.

The 6th Rugby mapping volunteers will aim to make a real impact by concentrating on one or two projects – potentially to completion.

Mapping in these areas will give the young people a sincere understanding of the locality and environment they are plotting. They will be making a real difference and will gain an insight into the places they are mapping. By completing this mapping challenge, they will become proficient in carefully plotting buildings on a map. All identified buildings will be verified by advanced mappers before being approved for release.

We will be able to review the individual and group impact as all mapping hours are logged on individual accounts, so we will be able to verify the amount of mapping that has been completed.

We will work between:

#15834 | Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) HIGH PRIORITY

MISSING MAPS: WEST DARFUR, SUDAN (11)

Sudan Crisis 2023·Sudan·refugee response, public health

For almost two months, El Geneina, West Darfur’s capital in Sudan, has seen intense fighting. After nearly two months of blockade people are now desperately trying to escape the area. El Geneina is located approximately 35 kilometres from the Chadian border, around 15,000 Sudanese refugees have already reached the Chadian town of Adré in the last weeks. Volunteer mapping of the areas around El Geneina and Adré will support MSF teams working in the region.

#15181 | Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) MEDIUM PRIORITY

MISSING MAPS: N'DJAMENA, CHAD (1)

N'Djamena 2023·Chad·public health, disaster preparedness, environment, sustainable cities

Since 2020, Chad has experienced severe annual flooding, causing considerable damage to livelihoods, homes, schools, and health facilities displacing thousands of families. This mapping project is created in anticipation of new floodings. It concerns the entire city of N'Djamena and its neighbourhoods. The purpose is to use the geographic data to determine whether neighbourhoods are at risk of flooding or not.

#15736 | Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) MEDIUM PRIORITY

MISSING MAPS: HOMA BAY COUNTY, KENYA (3)

2023 Kenya Homa Bay· Kenya public health

MSF has been working in Kenya since 1987, providing medical services including treatment for HIV, TB, and non-communicable diseases. In Homa Bay MSF is working on ensuring continuity of care for people with chronic diseases. MSF operates in Homa Bay’s state-run hospital where around 250 patients from all over the region are admitted every month. MSF works as well to enhance community initiatives by proposing differentiated care models based on a person-centred approach. Better maps will serve the MSF team to improve the understanding of patient origin and will facilitate and rationalize home visits to chronic disease patients.

Donations will go towards funding the Mapathon and keeping the young people fed and watered while they map. Any donations received over and above the cost of the event will be sent to MSF to assist with their works.