Under the watchful eyes of the Faculty of Engineering GIS Center at the University of Balamand, the Union of Municipalities of Jourd al Qayteh developed Salamati Cholera, an Application designed for cholera prevention. This venture saw the light (on date) due to the contribution of SALAR International a part of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities, whose main mission is to develop municipal self-governance with sufficient scope for action and strong civic support. This is not the first collaboration between the UOB and SALAR, as both institutions have joined efforts and initiated several sustainable projects, which contribute to the resilience of the community.

What does Salamati Cholera aim for? The application aims to detect the people who are infected by cholera and to identify the water sources in the area. This application will be a liaison between the patients and the civil hospital created by IMC, International Medical Corps. IMC is an NGO that offers disaster victims emergency medical care, healthcare education, and capacity building. Salamati Cholera is an extension to Salamati Corona, a respondent at the time of the pandemic, which paved the way for Salamati Cholera, as an effort to curb the adversity before spreading drastically.

Through Salamati Cholera, the medical team at the IMC can obtain the needed medical information of the patient, which will facilitate and accelerate the process of recovery. The GIS UOB Center and the Municipality of Jourd al Qayteh are committed in applying the UN sustainable development goals through abiding by SDG 3 and thriving to preserve healthy lives as well as fostering well-being.

UOB Vice President for Internationalization and Engagement and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Rami Abboud praised the efforts of the GIS Center, directed by Dr. Amal Iaaly, and admired the Center’s role in helping shape a better community with a healthy environment.