MapAction is a

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

that specialises in providing mapping for humanitarian emergencies. MapAction is a registered UK

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. The charity was founded as Aid for Aid in 1999 but became operational in 2003 and changed its name to MapAction. Its first emergency mission was to

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a populatio ...

in 2003 and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in response to the Asian tsunami in December 2004. Since then it has sent teams to many emergencies all over the world including floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, and humanitarian situations such as

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

. MapAction works with a range of partners including United Nations agencies, International non-government organisations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It also works with regional inter-state organisations such as the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre and the Centre for Emergency Situations and

Disaster risk reduction Disaster risk reduction (DRR) sometimes called disaster risk management (DRM) is a systematic approach to identifying, assessing and reducing the risks of disaster. It aims to reduce socio-economic vulnerabilities to disaster as well as dealing ...

. At the national level MapAction uses its experience of humanitarian mapping and information management to help disaster management agencies around the world put in place the data, technology and skills needed to be well-prepared for any type of large-scale emergency. MapAction has a small full-time staff, with most of its work delivered by skilled and trained volunteers. Its volunteers are skilled in geographical information systems, data management and software development and are trained to work in emergencies. As well as responding to emergencies, the volunteers also provide training to others. MapAction receives funding from several institutions, including the UK Government's

Department for International Development The Department for International Development (DFID) was a department of HM Government responsible for administering foreign aid from 1997 to 2020. The goal of the department was "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". D ...

(DFID), the

Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( nl, link=no, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken; BZ) is the Ministries of the Netherlands, Netherlands' ministry responsible for foreign relations of the Netherlands, foreign relations, foreign policy, internation ...

and USAID

Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) was an organizational unit within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) charged by the President of the United States with directing and coordinating international Federa ...

(OFDA) and the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.mapaction.org Charities based in the United Kingdom Emergency management Humanitarian aid organizations Maps Organisations based in Oxfordshire South Oxfordshire District