Social mapping is a participatory technique used in project planning, monitoring and evaluation to understand the social structure, resources, relationships and conditions of a particular community. It involves preparing a visual map of a village, locality or project area with the active participation of community members. The map may show households, roads, schools, health centres, water sources, religious places, community buildings, livelihood resources and other important facilities. It can also identify different social groups, vulnerable households, levels of access to services and patterns of social relationships. Thus, social mapping provides a clear picture of the community and helps project managers understand the people and resources within the project area. Social mapping is generally carried out through participatory methods. Community members discuss and identify important features of their locality and represent them through drawings, symbols, charts or other visual forms. The process encourages people to share their knowledge and experiences. Project staff, planners and community members can then analyse the map to identify existing resources, inequalities, gaps and development priorities. One major benefit of social mapping is that it supports effective project planning. Before designing a project, managers need reliable information about