
On February 28th, the second Mapathon organized within the framework of the CartONG-sponsored project “Mannheimer Mapathons” (MAMAPA) took place at the Mannheimer Abendakademie.
The project has 2 specific goals: to support the integration of immigrants - resident in the Rhein-Neckar region of Germany; and to contribute to international humanitarian initiatives. By organizing close cooperation between immigrants and residents during locally-organized mapathons, both of these ends can be simultaneously achieved. By taking part in mapathons, migrants have the opportunity to:
17 migrants - working in tandem with local residents - took part in this second mapathon. They first listened to a direct (Skype-communicated) appeal from Uganda for mapping support in refugee arrival zones. The mapathon participants then worked on a HOT Task covering the same area. The mapathon received critical support through the participation of several members of the University of Heidelberg-based “Disastermappers” collective. The local press came to observe and the article posted here (in German) is the result of their visit.
The Project Manager, Robert Danziger, developed this initiative during the past half year. He is a member of the Board of CartONG. The project is unique in the way that it has specifically supported and implemented efforts for integration of migrants with the humanitarian aid provided through mapathon activity. Among the local project supporters are the Abendakademie, the Goethe-Institut, the Internationaler Bund and the Integration Offices of the cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. A third mapathon is planned for April 2018.
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Please visit the project website (available in German & English) at: https/mamapa.org.
Photo credit: Christopher Bluethner, published online here.