Cadasta is thrilled to have been featured in Facebook’s Data for Good Annual Report. The report highlights Cadasta’s work to halt the eviction of slum-dwelling communities in Nairobi as an example of how Facebook data has assisted in response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic and other major crises in 2020.
Despite the public health risks posted by COVID-19, Kenyan authorities forcibly evicted more than 8,000 people from informal settlements in Nairobi in spring of 2020, putting already vulnerable people at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. After officials announced plans for a second phase of evictions, Cadasta partnered with the Kenya-based NGO Pamoja Trust to conduct a risk analysis of households that were at risk of being illegally evicted. Facebook’s High Resolution Population Density data set was overlaid on the proposed eviction locations to map and analyze the number of people at risk of eviction. This analysis was then used to create community awareness of the evictions and successfully petition government officials to halt the displacement of an estimated 71,000 people.
Commenting on Cadasta’s use of Facebook’s data, Program Specialist Justus Wambayi said, “Facebook Population Density Maps were very useful in creating a solid foundation that successfully convinced local officials to halt the forced evictions.”
Diana Wachira, Program Officer at Pamoja Trust, noted “Facebook’s Population Density Maps enabled the community to more clearly see the information mapped out which increased the community buy-in and the resilience of the potentially affected persons to work together in their advocacy efforts to stop the evictions.”
In her Annual Report foreword, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg noted, “Our partners operate in some of the most challenging environments in the world, where lengthy analysis and debate is often a luxury they don’t have…This report highlights some of the ways Facebook data – shared in a way that protects the privacy of individuals – assisted the response efforts to the pandemic and other major crises in 2020. I hope the examples included help illustrate what successful data sharing projects can look like, and how future projects can be improved. Above all, I hope we can continue to work together in 2021 and beyond to save lives and mitigate the damage caused by the pandemic and any crises that may follow.”
In addition to our feature in the Annual Report, Cadasta is participating in Facebook’s Data for Good Annual Report launch on January 29th from 11am-1pm EST. This panel will explore key use cases from 2020 and engage debate on the implications of Facebook’s model for key 2021 issues including the global COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Cadasta Program Specialist Justus Wambayi will be speaking as a panelist about Cadasta’s use of Facebook’s Population Density Maps to halt evictions. Registration for the event can be found here.
About Facebook’s Data for Good:
The mission of the Facebook Data for Good program is to empower partners with privacy-preserving data productions that strengthen communities and make progress on social issues. The program began in 2017 with the launch of Disaster Maps, a series of privacy-preserving data sets designed to help humanitarian organizations better respond to natural disasters. Since that time, the program’s portfolio has grown to include partnerships with over 450 organizations in 70 countries and dozens of tools built for addressing public health emergencies, spurring economic opportunity, and fighting climate change.
About Cadasta Foundation:
Founded in 2015, Cadasta Foundation is a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit that develops and promotes the use of simple digital tools and technology to help partners efficiently document, analyze, store, and share critical land and resource rights information. By creating an accessible digital record of land, property, and resource rights, we help empower individuals, communities, organizations, governments, and businesses with the information they need to make data-driven decisions and put vulnerable communities and their needs on the map.
For more information about Cadasta’s work visit: https://cadasta.org/