CC
Colum Cross
  • human-centered computing
  • Class of 2019
  • Albany, NY

Colum Cross spends winter break helping refugees in Rwanda

2017 Jan 31

Colum Cross, a third-year human centered computing major, spent winter break with a team of RIT students collecting GPS data points and conducting economic surveys for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at refugee camp in Rwanda.

Back in class at RIT, the team will use that data to create maps that can help improve the lives of refugees and refugee camp organizers in Rwanda.

Six RIT students from different majors traveled to Africa in January for a 2 1/2-week study abroad. The visit was part of a spring course aimed at giving students the experience and skills using mapping technology to address real-world issues, including climate change and refugee affairs.

"This was different than other study abroad trips because it's more about engaged scholarship and service learning," said Brian Tomaszewski, an associate professor in RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, who led the trip. "We are doing something interactive with the people of Rwanda and Congolese refugees to make a difference."

Working with the UNHCR Rwanda office and the Rwandan Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR), the RIT group was given access to the Mugombwa refugee camp-home to nearly 9,000 who fled fierce fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The camp lacks the basic reference data needed to provide good maps for workers and residents, who need to navigate the infrastructure and businesses of the camp.

"We take for granted that we have Google Maps for getting around and finding places in the U.S.," said Tomaszewski. "Without good maps it can be hard for residents and workers to find water, first aid care or other things that they need to live."

In addition to mapping during daylong trips to Mugombwa, the group also conducted economic surveys on the businesses run by refuges and employment conditions in the camp. The purpose of these surveys was to inform longer term strategic planning for refugee livelihoods in terms of giving refugees cash for food. Students also met with UN workers and camp residents to learn what life is like at Mugombwa.

Now back at RIT, the group will meet as part of the Honors Information Technology Seminar: Global Issues and Geographic Innovation spring semester course.

The class is using data collected to create paper maps, web tools and adding the data to OpenStreetMap, a free editable online map of the world. Additionally, the students will conduct an analysis of the economic data collected and provide research reports back to UNHCR and MIDIMAR.