Open Community Mapping Protocol
Submit a Community Location
Help keep Dzaleka's community map fresh, accurate, and self-maintained. Submit local businesses, youth centers, schools, or landmarks for community review.
Community Review & Verification Notice
All submitted locations are staged locally on your device and routed to project contactdzalekaconnect@gmail.com for open verification. Please ensure accurate GPS coordinates.
Project Lineage & Open GIS Protocol
About the Dzaleka Community Mapping Initiative
Established in 1994 by UNHCR in response to regional displacement, Dzaleka Refugee Camp has grown from an initial capacity of 10,000 to over 50,000 registered residents living across 12 distinct administrative zones, including Katubza, Kawale 1 & 2, Likuni 1 & 2, Lisungwi, Zomba, Blantyre, and Dzaleka Hill.
HOT Microgrants 2021 Lineage
This participatory mapping protocol draws directly from the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) Microgrants 2021 Initiative led by Ndapile Mkuwu & Zola Manyungwa. Their ground-truth survey mapped basic human needs—including Dzaleka's 43 water boreholes, schools, and health facilities—establishing the foundation for open community GIS.
Participatory Community Ownership
Rather than relying on closed data collection, our open-source submission workflow empowers local youth, women mappers, resident artists, and business owners to directly update place names, operating status, accessibility notes, and GPS coordinates under an open Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.
Public Access License: CC BY-SA 4.0View HOT 2021 Wiki Proposal