When communities are unmapped, especially those of extremely poor or marginalized persons, they tend to be overlooked in development and policy discussions. Maps help draw attention to community needs and a lack of resources and can serve as an advocacy tool to affect positive change. They are even more critical for women, who often do not have a voice in their communities and have limited access to technology. Maps can help women and girls by illustrating and bringing awareness to some of the most pressing issues they face. For example, maps can help determine access to educational facilities or identify places where there are high incidences of sexual harassment and violence.

As a winner of the WomenConnect Challenge, USAID’s global call to close the gender digital divide, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team trained young women and male allies in Tanzania and Peru to create free, open source maps and plot data.