People in Liberia’s Bea Mountain concession still don’t know their rights under a 2001 agreement to improve living standards for communities affected by mining activity, a new survey from Citizens Helpdesks found. […]
The Mobile Citizen Helpdesks (#quakehelpdesk) are coordinated groups of volunteers who are closing information gaps and building feedback loops in the worst-affected areas of post-earthquake Nepal. The Accountability Lab and Local Interventions Group launched the Helpdesks within 24 hours of the first earthquake on April 25th. Our volunteers immediately began meeting with citizens to gather information, assess needs, and help them solve difficult problems related to the earthquake. In this way they solved hundreds of problems for citizens across the country–from helping those who could not write fill in the relevant forms to access relief, to working with political parties to make sure aid [...]
One of the most important aspects often not given enough attention after a disaster is how technology can be used to build our capacity to do to good. After the devastating earthquakes in Nepal this year, there was a great need to find creative ways to better provide for those in need and make information more inclusive and accessible. This summer, four members of the Google Disaster Corps traveled to Kathmandu to spend two weeks partnering with Accountability Lab and Local Interventions Group to enhance data management in their earthquake relief project, Mobile Citizen Helpdesk. The Google team consisted of [...]
