Maldivian Red Crescent - Journal Post
Island Bazaar partnered with Maldivian Red Crescent as our Island Loop initiative for the second and third quarter of 2020. For more details about Island Loop please go to the link on our website footer.
The journal post is part of this initiative, to shed some light on some of the incredible works these charities do.
The blog post was prepared by Maldivian Red Crescent.
Maldivian Red Crescent is the 187th National Society of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and belongs to the biggest humanitarian movement in the world. Established through the Maldivian Red Crescent Law (Law No: 7/2009), the MRC works as an independent auxiliary organisation, and provides humanitarian services across the country with impartiality and neutrality. The National Society collaborates with a number of government agencies and other national stakeholders to support response work during disasters and emergencies, as well as to strengthen island and national preparedness and resilience in the Maldives.
The MRC was born out of the recognition of need for community-based capacities in disaster management and emergency response, after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. On August 16, 2009, the MRC was formed and initiated its work across the Maldives. With decentralised operations across the country, through ten Branches in ten atolls, allows for locally led, timely, and cost-effective humanitarian and development activities. This functionality of having presence on the ground has promoted continuity and ensures consistency of MRC’s work.
With over 5000 volunteers, the MRC is able to build local level capacities to work towards better preparedness in the face of disasters and emergencies, and to build the resilience of communities. The work that gets done within the organisation comes from and is led by communities. Any resources allocated are maximised and goes back to those who need it the most. Empowering volunteers, of all backgrounds, comes with the benefits of encouraging better social inclusion and cohesion, through the promotion of humanitarian values, so that nobody is left behind.
The rationale of the strategy is centred around enhancing resilience through an integrated approach that factors humanitarian work, development work, and climate change. It looks to the future while taking into consideration the various evolving dynamics of the communities that we serve.
This thinking is further reflected in the alignment with other key global development agendas such as the SDGs, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement.
There are five key programmes and services strategic priority areas that MRC works in –
Strengthening Emergency Response - The existing capacities, experiences, and strengths in providing emergency response services, positions MRC to strive to be the lead organisation in the Maldives that manages first response systems in the country. With a pool of highly trained and skilled volunteers, who carry out complex operations in an effective manner, the MRC is able to respond timely and well, to disasters and emergencies.
Strengthening First Aid and Psychosocial Support - Over the past 11 years, the MRC has trained over 5000 people in first aid and over 400 people in Psychological First Aid or Psychosocial Support. These areas are unmatched strengths of MRC and MRC aims to work towards increasing first aid and PSS service availability across the country.
Facilitate Resilience Based Planning - The frequency and intensity of natural hazards and disasters affected by climate induced stresses are evident. There is a growing recognition to link humanitarian response with climate action and long term development more effectively. MRC supports local communities to develop plans that promote resilience.
Promote Health and Wellbeing in a Changing Environment - MRC focuses on promoting an integrated approach to address existing and emerging health risks in the Maldives, through better preparedness and prevention, and factoring in climate change related impacts on health. MRC also advocates for better accessibility to healthcare for migrant workers and works on health related outreach and interventions targeting foreign migrant worker population.
Promoting Humanitarian Values and Volunteerism - Linked to MRC’s existing role in promoting volunteer work, community unity, and humanitarianism, MRC recognises the importance of social inclusion for a more resilient community. All of MRC’s work, across sectors, will always advocate for upholding humanity.
Support from the public and private sector ensures that MRC is able to sustainably provide humanitarian services, to those who need it the most, when they need it the most.
Thank you for being part of our journey!
For more information – www.redcrescent.org.mv
Facebook – www.facebook.com/maldivianrc
Twitter - @maldivianrc
Instagram - @maldivianrc
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