Did you know? At Orant Charities we are committed to holistic development and supporting the educational aspirations of our staff. Thus, we offer educational loans to our staff because we love seeing them progress with their education and advance their skills and knowledge. Read our latest blog to learn more about how important this is, not only to our staff but also to the growth of the organisation.
Mapping Malawi
Orant's Mapping Initiative
Orant values sustainability. We want the impact of our programs to last. As such, we are always thinking ahead. One of our most forward-thinking projects is the Orant Mapping Initiative. With this initiative, we aim to plot all of Orant’s programs with GPS technology. Search “Kasese Health Center” in Google Maps, and you’ll find Orant’s clinic. Currently, we have about 200 different impact points mapped. As we expand our programs, we add new points.
Why does mapping matter?
Mapping allows us to track the impact of our programs. Even more importantly, it informs us on how we can better fight outbreaks of diseases in the future. By combining GPS points with medical survey data, we are building a global information system (GIS). This approach isn’t new. It’s how the Gates Foundation was able to eradicate polio globally.
For Malawi, malaria remains the greatest health challenge. Each month, Orant’s Mobile Outreach Clinic tests thousands of patients for malaria. By integrating medical data into a GIS, we’ll better understand how malaria spreads and how to fight it. To sum things up, the more information we have, the more effective we become.
Are we only mapping medical data?
Nope! We map points from each of our programs: education, water & sanitation, agriculture & business, and healthcare. In addition, we map other local points of interest. This includes schools, meeting points, landmarks, stores, and more.
What’s next?
As Orant expands, we will enhance our ability to plot program data. Data will show how everything from water tables to malaria outbreaks impact our community. We hope to eventually branch out farther than our communities in Kasese and Bowe. We want to partner with other NGOs and actors to widen our mapping capacity. As Malawi’s technology and infrastructure grows, our system will exist as a guide for whoever might need it.
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The Orant Journal
Malawi Vision 2063 aims to transform Malawi into a prosperous, self-reliant, inclusively wealthy and industrialized country by the year 2063.
Malawi Vision 2063 aims to transform Malawi into a prosperous, self-reliant, inclusively wealthy and industrialized country by the year 2063.
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