Tag: Guyana

Geospatial training in Guyana

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The latest phase of our collaboration with Unicef and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) of Guyana is currently underway in the country’s capital of Georgetown. We are training CDC volunteers in spatial techniques to help respond as needed across the country, including potential flood response and assisting migrant communities.

Participants in this week’s practical training exercises have already completed an online training course we conducted during December. During this extended course, students will learn to apply geospatial techniques to the their own projects over a two-week period.

Extending our response to the economic crisis in Venezuela

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Since October, MapAction has been working in Guyana with the Civil Defence Commission and Unicef to support Venezuelan and Guyanese communities affected by the Venezuelan economic crisis. This work has now been extended until 2019.

Photo: EU/N Mazars

Large numbers of people have left Venezuela as a result of economic hardship, and many of them are in Guyana. Registering incoming Venezuelans and understanding which communities are in need of support to host them continues to be vitally important.

MapAction has been helping Unicef to analyse how effective the response to the economic crisis in Venezuela has been, in particular bringing the situation for children into focus. Our work with the Guyana Civil Defence Commission involves assisting a move from a paper-based to a digital information management system. Both partners are keen to extend this work through the end of this year and beyond.

We’re very grateful to the Calleva Foundation for supporting this important work.

Venezuela economic crisis impacts Guyana

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(photo: Angelina Archer)

Over the next two months we will be working in Guyana with UNICEF and the Civil Defence Commission of Guyana to help them with mapping and data management to meet the needs of people arriving from Venezuela and the Guyanese communities hosting them. A two-person MapAction team is currently in the Guyanese capital Georgetown.

More than two million people have fled the economic crisis in Venezuela since 2014 due to shortages of food, medicines and basic goods. The influx of people into Guyana is starting to put pressure on host communities. Our work with UNICEF will focus on bringing the situation for children into focus for responders in Guyana. We are also supporting the Civil Defence Commission to digitise information management processes and to use data to identify which communities are in need of support.