Conflict deepens in Mali: please help by contributing to the Mali Crowdmap

Ushahidi
Feb 15, 2013

            [guest post by Dave Goodsmith, founder of Scale Analytics]

As Mali’s conflict deepens, hundreds of thousands of Malians are now refugees and in dire need of long-term humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, compounding the near-permanent lack of food, water and healthcare for the displaced, there are hundreds of cases of rape, torture and other crimes against humanity as part of the ongoing conflict. In 2013, there are no more bystanders. Thanks to Ushahidi’s Crowdmap -- everyone, everywhere can help solve the crisis by tracking all reports, and contributing to and sharing this crowdsourced map: MaliCrowdmap Refugees that are hidden cannot be fed, healed or protected. Crimes against humanity that are hidden from the world will not be punished, and will not stop. Crowdmapping Mali allows us to help end the crisis, save the refugees, and lay the groundwork towards preventing future humanitarian catastrophes around the world. How to help: - Go to https://malicrisis2013.crowdmap.com, identify a recent news item from the feed on the lower left, and use the web form to enter in a simple, categorized, geographically-based report. - Share this blog post with your network. We need specialist help too - Crowdmapping Experts: Send an email with your expertise and available hours per week over the next few months. We need assistance maintaining and updating the site, optimizing SEO and coordinating with the infrastructure mapping being done by the Humanitarian Open Street Map team. On the Ground NGOs: We are looking for NGO representatives in Mali to check in weekly with very brief reports, photos, movies, interviews, etc. that we can upload to our maps as first-hand accounts. Everything is helpful and all forms of communication (SMS, telephone, email, etc.) are viable. Journalists: We need articles written about the crowdmapping opportunities and can make available our staff and Crowdmap experts in academia. Email crowdmap at scaleanalytics dot com For more information on the Mali crisis: http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/africa/mali-sharia-amputees-and-displaced-speak-out http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/01/mali-malian-army-islamist-groups-executed-prisoners http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/\_news/2012/05/03/11522387-thousands-seek-refuge-from-violence-in-mali?lite http://www.unrefugees.org/site/c.lfIQKSOwFqG/b.8102439/k.7AA1/UNHCR\_seeks\_154\_million\_to\_help\_Mali\_refugees\_up\_sharply\_from\_earlier\_appeal.htm About Scale Analytics Scale Analytics is a New York City based consultancy dedicated to data interpretation and analysis for social innovation. David Goodsmith is Scale’s founder, has degrees in statistics and environmental science, and serves as the CFO of global health NGO The Health Impact Fund.