Putting Lesotho aid projects on the map
MapAction has assisted the Lesotho-based NGO Sentebale to produce an online map showing locations of aid projects helping orphans and vulnerable children across the country. The interactive map allows selective viewing of various types of projects and resources with links to Sentabale's database of projects run by a wide range of organisations. (Picture: Sentebale)
The Letsema Atlas was launched by the Sentebale charity on 5th June, 2008 in Maseru, Lesotho. Sentebale helps orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) in Lesotho by developing links between large agencies and small community projects to give them essential health, education and social support.
Prince Harry is patron of both MapAction and Sentebale and asked for MapAction's help in 2007 to establish the Letsema Project. Letsema in Basotho culture means 'working together' and the project seeks to foster co-operation, collaboration and communication between all funders and aid providers in Lesotho. This includes major international grant-makers, international and smaller NGOs, local service providers and government. The interactive internet atlas was devised to show where organisations, projects and resources are located, and to show where assistance to OVC is occurring - and the gaps.
Mapping 'who is doing what and where' has parallels with MapAction’s mainstream work during disaster relief. Also, Lesotho was the destination of MapAction's first-ever overseas mission, when the charity conducted food aid distribution mapping in the south-west of the country in 2003.
Following initial meetings iwith Sentebale in London, MapAction volunteers Chris Ewing and Alan Mills went to Lesotho in August 2007 to help Sentebale build partnerships with geographical data providers in government and elsewhere, to talk through what OVC project information was needed (and encourage participation) and provide preliminary training in GPS and GIS.
Alan Mills has since kept in close contact with Sentebale and its website developers to give advice on how to map the information and ensure that critical data are easily accessible through the site.
The website can be found at http://www.letsema.org/html/atlas.php. With UNICEF funding, the atlas is hoped to be developed further, including more detailed mapping. Projects will be categorised by type, enriching information held for each project. It is also hoped to encourage those who have not shared their information yet to do so. The hope is that, through the atlas, donors and organisations can better work together and improve the distribution of their resources to assist all OVC in Lesotho.