Open-source technology is putting vulnerable communities on the map for the first time – and it could save lives.

On a recent visit to Mixco, Guatemala, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and students from George Washington University (GWU) mapped communities using nothing more than open-source platforms and the GPS in their smartphones.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Emily Haile
Manager, Communications
+1.202.280.3846, hmayr@padf.org

PADF, George Washington University Train Students to Map Using Mobile Phones

Contact:
Hearly G. Mayr
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
+1.202.280.3846, hmayr@padf.org

Taiwan and PADF training program benefits 14,000 residents

Dangriga, Belize (June 30, 2016) – Thousands of residents of coastal Belize are better prepared for extreme weather and the effects of climate change after a yearlong program funded by Taiwan and implemented by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF).

Overview

Guatemala’s Dry Corridor has been deeply impacted by the effects of climate change. Cyclical droughts are causing food insecurity and affecting livelihoods in the region. Families struggle to produce enough food to meet basic needs. Losses of staple crops are as high as 100 percent in some regions.

Washington, D.C (November 18, 2015) – A new program funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) will enhance the ability of thousands of vulnerable farmers in Guatemala’s “Dry Corridor” to withstand cyclical droughts.