Saunderton, August 21, 2015 — MapAction is delighted to announce that it has won four Stevie International Business Awards, which will be formally presented on October 23rd 2015 in Toronto, Canada. MapAction, the only volunteer-driven charity of its kind worldwide, provides rapid on-the-ground mapping to aid agencies in response to humanitarian emergencies. Most recently it deployed 13 personnel to assist in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake.
The charity was recognised in the following categories:
Company of the Year (Non-Profit / Government Organisation) – Gold award (winner)
Management Team of the Year (outside of North America) – Gold award (winner)
Chairman of the Year, Roy Wood – Silver award
Support Team of the Year, MapAction’s Operational Support Team volunteers – Silver award
Comments from the judges on MapAction’s submissions included: “A much needed resource helping those who most need it. Innovative and inspirational” and “An excellent project, much needed in emergencies, with a clearly defined team and impressive accomplishments”.
The Stevie Awards (http://www.stevieawards.com/iba/) were created in 2002 to honour and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organisations and working professionals worldwide.The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for “crowned.”
MapAction’s Chief Executive, Liz Hughes, commented, “It is testament to the dedication, professionalism and creativity of the entire MapAction team – volunteers, trustees and staff – that we have been recognised in all four of the categories that we entered. Every day I am inspired by the incredible team around me. It is very gratifying to know that I am not alone in my admiration of this exceptional team that makes such an important difference to the effective delivery of humanitarian aid.”
More than 3,700 nominations were submitted for Stevie International Business Awards this year. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 200 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process between May and August 2015.
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Notes to Editors
MapAction is the only volunteer-driven charity of its kind, worldwide, that provides rapid, on-the-ground mapping to humanitarian aid agencies in response to a humanitarian disaster, or during a humanitarian crisis, to help save lives and minimise suffering.
MapAction is ready to deploy (or pre-deploy) its highly-skilled technology (GIS) professionals, specially trained in disaster response, within hours of an alert, 365 days a year. The charity currently has deployable 41 volunteers who are on standby to leave their jobs and families to deploy to an emergency.
In the initial phase of a response, MapAction’s volunteers help coordinate search-and-rescue efforts and the delivery of emergency aid. As the situation on the ground evolves, they help responders understand the changing needs of survivors. As a long-term measure MapAction also helps to prepare government authorities, responders and communities for the impact of disasters before they strike.
In recent months MapAction has undertaken large-scale responses to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu and the recent Nepal earthquake. Since 2002, the charity has responded to 55 humanitarian disasters, ranging from natural disasters (such as the Boxing Day tsunami and Haiti earthquake) to crises resulting from human conflict (such as Syria and Iraq).
