Global MapAid

Global MapAid (GMA) is a development mapping organisation that aims to provide opportunity through innovative solutions to poverty. GMA was set up by a group of humanitarian professionals with Desmond Tutu as Patron with an aim to create maps to assist victims of economic poverty, by illustrating development opportunities. It maps poverty hotspots and solutions by capturing data about unemployment and vital livelihood solutions including vocational education, decent credit, and business mentoring. GMA also maps drought, food security, HIV monitoring and environmental damage as well as social programmes such as orphanages and maternal health clinics. As needed, disaster damage may also be mapped. Vision: GMA seeks to support well-being and the creation of sustainable jobs, which underpins self-empowerment and mitigates political and social unrest. The United Nations World at Work Report (2013) p.14 states that a key determinant of social unrest is unemployment. The World Economic Forum ‘Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment 2013’ mentions over 350 million youth (aged 14 to 24) are not in employment, education or training. Mission: GMA captures and relates data on development, emphasising unemployment versus solutions for unemployment — such as vocational education, business credit and business mentoring and health — and makes these relationships clear by illustrating them on maps, which are then disseminated to key stakeholders responsible for solutions, such as educators, bankers and business incubators, government and non-government donors and the international public, enabling better concerted action. Goals: GMA seeks to create local teams of data collectors and map makers in developing and low-income areas. Mapping Benefits include: Rapid Visual Understanding, Majority Democratic Understanding, Visionary Confidence & Memory Benefit