1.
Building mapping communities
in rural Tanzania
Janet Chapman

2.
MAPPING ON MAPS.ME
We train field mappers
in rural Tanzania to add
their local knowledge to
the map using
Maps.Me, a free
smartphone app that
works offline.

3.
This is rural Tanzania:
This is Dar es Salaam:

4.
Rural Tanzania
needs
MAPS!

5.
We are making them!

6.
Slack channel is good for
generating a community, and
for volunteers to ask
questions and get instant
feedback on their 1st
mapping attempts etc. – if
anyone would like to join
please let me know,
particularly if you can help
giving feedback to new
mappers!

7.
When you achieve 100% you get a badge.
Currently we have a quiz for buildings, but Sabine is working on one for roads too.
https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/JAHNEB

8.
REMOTE MAPPERS VS COMMUNITY MAPPERS
Highly educated to degree level or
beyond
Many did not complete secondary
school
Have used maps in their daily life since
childhood
Had never seen a map of their local area
Own and can skilfully use a large range
of technology
Had never used a smartphone, or laptop
or been online.

9.
TRADITIONAL ROLES

10.
HOT Microgrant in 2017 enabled us to recruit
female mappers for the first time

11.
But female mappers face additional challenges
with:
• Men telling them they are “wasting their
time” and should be at home doing their
chores
• Harrassment, threats and inappropriate
touching from men, particularly when
travelling on public transport
• Plots to lure them to remote places to be
raped

12.
How can these challenges be overcome? IN THEIR WORDS
1.Educating people about maps
and mapping and its importance
to the community and nation at
large.
2.Men in villages to be educated
on gender equality and treating
women right.
3.Security to be increased in
villages; for example presence
of more police stations

13.
SO WHY DO WOMEN MAP? IN THEIR WORDS
1. We do it to help increase
development in our communities.
2.To help girls escape FGM -activists
houses are being added and roads.
3.To help other women in villages be
able to escape gender based
violences like women beating
4.To be part of change in our
communities

14.
HOW CAN THE MAPPING COMMUNITY HELP?
• Recognise additional challenges faced
• Put in structures to assist ie 50% participation,
women only groups, role models, being mindful
of male domination in training.
• Mapping aspects that are of importance to
women.
• More materials on why mapping rural areas
benefits women.
• Recognising additional funding needs

15.
Digital Champions:
We have set up digital champions in all
87 villages in Serengeti, with a
smartphone for the 1st time, linked in a
WhatsApp group.
They help us monitor and protect the
girls in their village, and report any
issues.
We thank USAID for the initial $9000
funding for this through
WomenConnect.

16.
New smartphone users
see a map of their village
for the first time.

17.
Volunteers added clinic locations from
Open Government Data

18.
Using water point location data to add
village names.
Also useful for COVID contact tracing.

19.
TRAINING EVENTS

20.
And trained the police
and activists to use the
maps to quickly find and
protect girls at risk.
And also add missing
places to the map.

21.
Better maps have:
• helped 3000+ girls to find safehouses
and avoid being cut
• coincided with a reduced FGM
death rate of 75%

22.
We have trained over 1600 local activists to map their
communities in Tanzania, around 40% female

23.
We were invited to organise a
mapathon at UNFPA in New
York in September 2018.
It was attended by 60 people
from UNFPA, UNICEF,
HOTOSM, Youthmappers and
others

24.
To coincide with this
we held a global
mapathon events in 60
countries.
Including at the
Ministry for Women in
Somalia, in Mali,
Guinea, Kenya, Niger,
Uganda and many
others.

25.
Lessons Learnt
• Engaging uneducated marginalised rural communities is hard but
rewarding
• Training opportunities are hugely appreciated
• Women have additional challenges
• Building relationships is key
• Long term

26.
Please join us and help map Tanzania!
Janet Chapman
j.chapman@tanzdevtrust.org
@Crowd2Map