WFP food distribution during COVID-19 in Kaya, Burkina Faso (Photo: WFP / Mahamady Ouedraogo)
The outbreak of disease caused by the virus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 started in China in December 2019. The virus quickly spread across the world, with the WHO Director-General declaring it as a pandemic on March 11th, 2020.
As strict travel restrictions are imposed worldwide on people’s movements to contain the spread of the virus, aid organizations face the unique challenge of access to vulnerable communities to deliver assistance. Another direct consequence of the COVID-19 crisis is the inability to conduct regular monitoring and assessments of humanitarian programs.
In order to overcome these constraints and provide the wider humanitarian community with timely and comprehensive information on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, iMMAP initiated the COVID-19 Situational Analysis project with the support of the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID BHA), aiming to provide solutions to the growing global needs for assessment and analysis among humanitarian stakeholders.
As strict travel restrictions are imposed worldwide on people’s movements to contain the spread of the virus, aid organizations face the unique challenge of access to vulnerable communities to deliver assistance. Another direct consequence of the COVID-19 crisis is the inability to conduct regular monitoring and assessments of humanitarian programs.
In order to overcome these constraints and provide the wider humanitarian community with timely and comprehensive information on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, iMMAP initiated the COVID-19 Situational Analysis project with the support of the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID BHA), aiming to provide solutions to the growing global needs for assessment and analysis among humanitarian stakeholders.
Awareness Raising on COVID-19 in Idleb Governorate, Syria (Photo: OCHA)
The one-year project is implemented in Colombia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, DRC, Nigeria and Syria, alongside further global efforts. Through a team of experienced personnel that includes project managers, information management officers, data analysts, thematic experts, and data visualization officers, iMMAP and its partners are working towards strengthening the assessment and analysis capacities of humanitarian organizations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic over the next year and beyond.
iMMAP is partnering with Data Friendly Space (DFS), an organization specialized in secondary data and situation analysis. Together, iMMAP and DFS are developing tailored remote data collection and analysis processes for each country by using the Data Entry and Exploration Platform (DEEP). DEEP generates repositories of pre-organized secondary data for each country, addressing the challenges in data and information comprehensiveness, consistency, and value
The project collects and analyzes data provided by humanitarian actors and other stakeholders including academia, private sector and government agencies, and produces regular joint situational analysis reports that facilitate a better understanding of the humanitarian impact of COVID-19. It also seeks to provide a solution to the methodological challenges faced by humanitarian actors and to address information gaps exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, with the ultimate objective to better support partners in planning and targeting response operations amid the global crisis.
Through this project, iMMAP will facilitate an informed and coordinated humanitarian response among all stakeholders by producing a wide range of timely and comprehensive information products, and will make them available for all partner organizations working in the targeted countries.
iMMAP is partnering with Data Friendly Space (DFS), an organization specialized in secondary data and situation analysis. Together, iMMAP and DFS are developing tailored remote data collection and analysis processes for each country by using the Data Entry and Exploration Platform (DEEP). DEEP generates repositories of pre-organized secondary data for each country, addressing the challenges in data and information comprehensiveness, consistency, and value
The project collects and analyzes data provided by humanitarian actors and other stakeholders including academia, private sector and government agencies, and produces regular joint situational analysis reports that facilitate a better understanding of the humanitarian impact of COVID-19. It also seeks to provide a solution to the methodological challenges faced by humanitarian actors and to address information gaps exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, with the ultimate objective to better support partners in planning and targeting response operations amid the global crisis.
Through this project, iMMAP will facilitate an informed and coordinated humanitarian response among all stakeholders by producing a wide range of timely and comprehensive information products, and will make them available for all partner organizations working in the targeted countries.
The COVID-19 project utilizes the Data Entry and Exploration Platform (DEEP)
Lastly, seeking an integrated solution to the negative impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on humanitarian aid activities across the world, iMMAP will promote the sustainability of the project by providing humanitarian actors with practical methodological guidance and lessons learned specifications based on the challenges and information gaps identified.
As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the humanitarian environment is constantly fluctuating. To effectively respond to the growing needs of vulnerable populations, adaptability is key. iMMAP, with the support of USAID, is leveraging innovative partnerships and information management tools and procedures to support the humanitarian community in the global efforts to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.
Currently, iMMAP and DFS are looking for collaborators to help us expand the impact and benefits of the COVID-19 Situation Analysis project:
As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the humanitarian environment is constantly fluctuating. To effectively respond to the growing needs of vulnerable populations, adaptability is key. iMMAP, with the support of USAID, is leveraging innovative partnerships and information management tools and procedures to support the humanitarian community in the global efforts to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.
Currently, iMMAP and DFS are looking for collaborators to help us expand the impact and benefits of the COVID-19 Situation Analysis project:
Let’s Work Together!
We envision a collaborative process with your organization/sector to contribute to our ever-expanding dataset with additional secondary sources, reports, and information on your past, ongoing, and future assessments. Our collaboration can result in a deeper understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations and the humanitarian community’s ability to collect and analyze data.
Find out more
We envision a collaborative process with your organization/sector to contribute to our ever-expanding dataset with additional secondary sources, reports, and information on your past, ongoing, and future assessments. Our collaboration can result in a deeper understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations and the humanitarian community’s ability to collect and analyze data.
Find out more
Note:
The outputs of the project will not replace or be used as a substitute to specific sector analysis, will not provide or suggest an alternative way to calculate people in need (PIN), and will not propose an alternative severity scale.
The outputs of the project will not replace or be used as a substitute to specific sector analysis, will not provide or suggest an alternative way to calculate people in need (PIN), and will not propose an alternative severity scale.