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News — 08 March, 2019

International Women's Day 2019: #balanceforbetter

HOT celebrates work to improve gender inclusion across OpenStreetMap. While no country in the world has achieved gender parity, inequality is particularly extreme in many of the places HOT works. Scroll on to see how you can get involved, and see our highlights from the past year.

Want to get involved in putting gendered issues on the map and creating a more inclusive digital community for women:

  • Contribute to #IWD2019 Tasks on Tasking Manager: map and validate Task #5795. The maps will be used by HOT’s Missing Maps partner CartONG and CARE to identify areas in Jeremie, Haiti where women and girls are at high-risk of violence.

  • Are you a YouthMapper? Join the Global YouthMappers Challenge. In support of #IWD2019, HOT and YouthMappers launched the Global YouthMappers Challenge, inviting YouthMappers to compete for a chance to win sponsorship to attend the 2019 HOT Summit and the State of the Map Conference in Germany this September. Learn more about the challenge & sign up.

  • Engage in the conversation on social media! Share with HOT and the global community how you are working to improve gender equality in the OSM community, and why access to technology is essential. Tag @HOTOSM on Facebook, @hot.osm on Instagram, or @hotosm on Twitter and use the hashtags #IWD19 and #womenconnect, or join the GeoChicas group on Telegram.

Read up on our gender highlights from the past 12 months:

  • Together with FOSS4G, we supported Travel Grants for 137 people - the majority women & girls from East Africa - to attend the HOT Summit and FOSS4G in Dar es Salaam in Africa this year. 13% of the 1000+ conference-goers attended with a Travel Grant, positively impacting diversity at the conference.

HOT Summit 2018 (1).jpg

  • HOT Voting Members voted in a majority female board for the first time, and placed Gender equality in HOT’s 2021 Strategic plan

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  • We launched our first ever gender program, supporting three projects in Peru, Tanzania, and Paraguay, and working with YouthMappers to close to digital gender divide through the USAID Women Connect Challenge.

WCC Blog-9609de.JPG Mapping to support Women and Girls at risk of Female Genital Mutilation and Gender Based Violence in Serengeti, Tanzania

Students mapping sexist publicity in their neighbourhoods were given the opportunity to present their findings to regional mayors in Cusco, Peru