Pakistan Flooding Canadem GIS Expert Will Map Out Unicef Nutrition Response

NOVEMBER 5, 2010

			4 months later, 20.36 million Pakistanis are still affected by the floods, with 546,000 children suffering from malnutrition. LONDON, ONTARIO – London resident William Braunsch is heading out this weekend to Pakistan to assist the United Nations Children’s Fund’s flood relief efforts as an information management specialist for UNICEF’s nutrition activities. Braunsch is being seconded by CANADEM, a non-profit agency dedicated to advancing international peace and security.

4 months after floods first struck Pakistan, the number of victims remains at 20.36 Million – one in ten Pakistanis. Among these, UNICEF estimates that 126,000 children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition, while another 420,000 are malnourished. To coordinate relief efforts and deliver food provisions to affected victims, a proper mapping of the areas affected and of current aid distribution networks is essential. Herein lies Braunsch’s specialty: GIS mapping and information management.

“It is deeply gratifying to have a chance to take part in something much bigger than myself,” says Braunsch. GIS – geographic information system – is a set of tools that captures and analyzes statistical and geographical data to reveal trends and relationships. “I have never worked in a disaster context as widespread as this, and I am looking forward to applying my knowledge and the experience I’ve picked up throughout my years working in GIS to assisting these communities in need. It is amazing to be a small part of a much greater effort to change peoples’ lives.” His expertise will be vital in helping the UNICEF nutrition team map out the nutrition patterns in Pakistan and better target their delivery of humanitarian assistance to the flood victims.

The Project: Braunsch is seconded to UNICEF through CANADEM’s Rapid Onset Humanitarian Emergency Experts Fund (RAP Fund), with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). RAP-Fund is a stand-by partnership with major UN agencies, established to rapidly deploy Canadian experts to assist field offices in providing prompt and effective assistance in the wake of humanitarian disasters. Since RAP-Fund’s inception in 2007, close to 100 Canadian experts have been deployed overseas in support of UN emergency operations. 5 Canadians are already at work in Pakistan, and another 4 will be deployed in the coming weeks.

CANADEM: Established in 1996, CANADEM is a non-profit agency dedicated to advancing international peace and security through the rapid mobilization and mission management of experts committed to international service. To do this, CANADEM manages a roster of 13,500 experts skilled in various fields of international cooperation.

William Braunsch and CANADEM reps available for interview.

For information: Léa Beaudry – Communications, CANADEM
Tel. (613) 789-3328, (819) 360-3252 (After hours) Ottawa, ON.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it