The 6th Rugby Explorer Young Leaders are embarking on an exciting and impactful journey as they undertake a sponsored 24-hour Mapathon. This event will be live on Freeview channel 276, showcasing the dedication and hard work of the young volunteers as they contribute to a worthy cause.
These enthusiastic young mappers are on a mission to create free-to-use maps, adding crucial data to digital images to enhance the accuracy and detail of maps. The maps they create will provide invaluable support to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in various activities such as security management, disease outbreak management, and planning primary health care activities.
The initiative, known as Missing Maps, aims to map crisis-prone and vulnerable parts of the world that have remained unmapped despite satellite imagery. By mapping these areas, the volunteers are supporting the critical work of organizations such as MSF, the British Red Cross, the American Red Cross, and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT). The maps created are not only beneficial to these organizations but also to local communities, providing them with essential resources that are often taken for granted.
The young leaders will channel their efforts into one or two projects, focusing on making a genuine impact and potentially seeing them through to completion. Through this experience, they will develop a profound understanding of the communities and environments they are mapping, gaining insight and making a tangible difference.
By meticulously plotting buildings on the maps, the volunteers will hone their skills and contribute to the verification process overseen by advanced mappers. Each mapping hour will be logged on individual accounts, allowing for a review of the individual and group impact of their efforts.
The teams will be working on projects in various regions, each with its own set of challenges and critical needs. These include supporting MSF teams working in West Darfur, Sudan, aiding in disaster preparedness in N’Djamena, Chad, and facilitating home visits to chronic disease patients in Homa Bay County, Kenya.
In addition to the valuable work they will be doing, the volunteers are also seeking donations to fund the Mapathon and sustain themselves during the 24-hour event. Any excess donations will be contributed to MSF to further support their impactful work.
With their unwavering dedication and commitment, these young leaders from the 6th Rugby Explorer program are set to make a meaningful difference by using their mapping skills to support organizations like MSF, positively impacting the lives of people in crisis-stricken and vulnerable areas.
Through their collaborative efforts, they are not only creating maps but also fostering hope and aid for those in need, truly embodying the spirit of volunteerism and compassion.