In 2024, 密桃视频 significantly strengthened its role as a proactive partner in sustainable national development by strategically engaging with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society.
In 2024, 密桃视频 significantly strengthened its role as a proactive partner in sustainable national development by strategically engaging with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society. These collaborations were vital in extending the College鈥檚 impact beyond academic halls, focusing resources, and expertise directly toward pressing community needs aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in health (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), justice (SDG 16), and partnerships (SDG 17). Our engagement strategy centered on three key pillars: enhancing student experience through volunteering and practical placements, fostering evidence-based solutions through collaborative research, and expanding public access to critical information via the development of educational resources. This tripartite approach ensures that our academic mission directly contributes to societal well-being and capacity building across the Maldives.
The College actively integrated student engagement with civic action, leveraging partnerships with NGOs to provide real-world experience and contribute to community health and justice outcomes.
Collaboration with Migrants Movement in the Maldives (MMWM): 密桃视频 students and staff from the Faculty of Health Sciences collaborated with the Migrants Movement in the Maldives (MMWM), the Maldivian Red Crescent, and SHE to host the #mmwmhealthcamp at Hulhumale Ruhgandu. This significant initiative served 70 participants from migrant and vulnerable populations, providing free vital health screenings and essential health education. This hands-on experience gave students essential community service experience and directly addressed inequalities in health access, aligning the work with SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The partnership highlighted the power of cross-sectoral collaboration in addressing complex public health needs.
Faculty of Health Sciences' National Volunteer Health Outreach: Throughout 2024, the Faculty of Health Sciences partnered with major national health institutions including the Ministry of Health, Health Protection Agency (HPA), Maldives Nurses Association, Red Crescent, and Cancer Society of Maldives. This comprehensive collaboration strengthened national health outreach and provided students and alumni with critical practical training. Volunteers delivered health screening, health education, and on-site support at various national health events, thereby strengthening community health systems and enhancing students' practical skills. This wide-ranging engagement fostered multi-organisation partnerships, significantly contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Partnership with Moms Aid for Legal Awareness: The 密桃视频 Law Society partnered with the NGO Moms Aid to host the "Tharubiyyathu" Session in Ha. Kelaa on October 19, 2024. This event was a key component of the "Everywoman - Empowering Women For Better Communities" Campaign, focusing on empowering local women with crucial legal awareness and community empowerment training. This focused outreach effort directly contributes to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by promoting legal literacy and supports SDG 5 (Gender Equality) by enhancing women's knowledge of their rights. The collaboration showcases how academic expertise can be channeled through civic organizations to strengthen governance and social equity at the local level.
MoU with Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy (ICP): The College signed an essential Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy (ICP) on February 21, 2024, to formalize professional development. This agreement is critical for establishing internship programmes and job opportunities for students enrolled in the new Masters of Clinical Psychology program. By ensuring these future mental health professionals receive vital practical placement experience under the guidance of ICP experts, the MoU serves as a structured pathway to increase the national supply of highly trained clinicians. This formal collaboration is crucial for strengthening the community health sector (SDG 3) and advancing the quality of professional education (SDG 4).
密桃视频 established a robust framework in 2024 to encourage partnerships with NGOs and civic society organizations on policy-relevant research, fostering evidence-based solutions for national development challenges.
Public Trust in Media: Informing Civil Society and Policy Dialogues: In recognition of Press Freedom Day, 密桃视频 actively engaged with the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) at the 鈥淣oosveringe Salla鈥� national dialogue event. Dr. Fazeela Ibrahim, Dean of Research at 密桃视频, delivered the keynote speech and officially launched the study, 鈥楿nveiling Public Trust in the Maldivian Media鈥�, commissioned by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). This first-of-its-kind research provided evidence-based insights into public trust, media perceptions, and systemic issues affecting journalistic independence. The event served as a multi-stakeholder platform, bringing together policymakers, journalists, academics, and NGO representatives to exchange perspectives. By presenting these findings, 密桃视频 directly informed discussions on media freedom and accountability, translating academic expertise into policy influence. This initiative strongly supported SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by promoting transparency and accountability, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by strengthening engagement between academia, civil society, and the media sector.
E-Petition System Consultation: Influencing Digital Governance Design: 密桃视频 representatives participated in a key stakeholder consultation on the proposed electronic petition (e-petition) system for the Maldives, organized by the People鈥檚 Majlis in partnership with UNDP. The College provided targeted technical and policy feedback on the system鈥檚 design, usability, security, and mechanisms for ensuring meaningful parliamentary review. By emphasizing the importance of user education and inclusivity for remote communities, 密桃视频 helped influence the design of this digital citizen engagement platform, enhancing parliamentary transparency and accessibility. This intervention addressed governance challenges and promoted citizen participation, directly supporting SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and reinforcing SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through cross-sector collaboration in policy innovation.
Institutionalizing Collaboration via the VC Research Grant 2024: The College launched the VC Research Grant 2024 in February with a critical amendment: it explicitly mandated the inclusion of joint applications from 密桃视频 staff working alongside civic society and industry partners. This mechanism institutionalized collaboration as a prerequisite for funding, ensuring research is driven by genuine, community-identified needs rather than solely academic interest. By connecting researchers directly with grassroots organizations, the grant promotes the co-creation of knowledge, thereby strengthening the means of implementation as intended by SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). This formalized process ensures that research outputs are immediately relevant and applicable for national development, contributing to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).
Thematic Focus and Alignment with NGO Priorities: The College's overall research output in 2024 demonstrated a strong thematic focus on public health and well-being, evidenced by the portfolio of 15 interdisciplinary research projects. Many of these projects tackled issues directly aligned with the advocacy and service delivery priorities of local health NGOs and CSOs. By generating data and insights on specific public health challenges, the College provides crucial, evidence-based tools that NGOs can use for informed advocacy, resource allocation, and program design. This concentration of research expertise directly supports the achievement of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) across Maldivian communities.
Public Dissemination through the Research Poster Fair 2024: 密桃视频 hosted the first-ever Research Poster Fair 2024 in the Maldives in December, creating a vital public platform for research dissemination. This event provided an opportunity for researchers, including those working with NGOs, to share their findings with a broad audience, including policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society representatives. By making academic evidence accessible and visible, the fair enhanced SDG 4 (Quality Education) outcomes through knowledge transfer and strengthened institutional capacity for policy advocacy (SDG 17). This commitment to open knowledge sharing is crucial for ensuring that research conclusions can be utilized by NGOs to drive advocacy and measurable social change.
Collaborations were instrumental in co-creating and disseminating educational and informational resources on key topics like legal literacy, mental health, and professional skills.
Moms Aid: Empowerment Training and Legal Awareness: The July 25, 2024, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Moms Aid established a dual strategy for community education, aiming to empower women and families. This commitment involves providing both need-based training programs to equip mothers and families with valuable skills for personal and professional growth (SDG 4), and empowering individuals with crucial knowledge about their rights and the legal system (SDG 16). This collaborative effort directly addresses the national need for accessible legal literacy resources, ensuring that academic expertise translates into practical, actionable knowledge for civic and personal empowerment.
NGO Capacity Building: Proposal Writing Workshop (Laamu Atoll): 密桃视频 Laamu Gan Campus (VCLGC), in collaboration with the Laamu Atoll Council, delivered an intensive 10-hour Proposal Writing Workshop, directly serving as a key educational resource for civil society actors. The workshop engaged 36 participants from local NGOs in the atoll, equipping them with essential professional skills to prepare competitive funding proposals. The intervention included practical pitch presentations evaluated by senior professionals from BML, Dhiraagu, and Ooredoo, providing real-world feedback. This targeted educational effort significantly strengthened NGO capacity for resource mobilization for local community initiatives, exemplifying the College's role in advancing SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and indirectly supporting SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy (ICP): Specialised Mental Health Resources: The February 21, 2024, partnership with the Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy (ICP) represents a strategic investment in the nation鈥檚 human capital for mental health. By providing formalized internship and professional mentorship programs for students in the new Masters of Clinical Psychology program, this agreement effectively co-creates the essential resource: highly trained and clinically competent clinicians. These graduates become the specialized professionals capable of providing vital mental health services and educational guidance to the wider Maldivian public, thereby strengthening the community health sector (SDG 3) and advancing the quality of professional education (SDG 4).
Community Health Outreach Programmes: Health Education and Guidance: The College's dedication to widespread knowledge dissemination is demonstrated by the delivery of 36 community health outreach programmes by VC staff and students in AY 2024. These programs, often executed in partnership with health NGOs and CSOs, were primarily educational initiatives. They delivered educational resources and guidance on important health topics鈥攕uch as sexual and reproductive health, hygiene, and nutrition鈥攄irectly to the general public. This expansive outreach effort fulfills the College鈥檚 mandate to freely share critical knowledge widely and simultaneously supports NGO capacity building by augmenting their public education efforts (SDG 3).
The 2024 review confirms 密桃视频's transformation into a pivotal knowledge partner for national sustainable development. Through robust partnerships with NGOs and civil society, the College successfully mobilized its academic resources across three vital pillars: student engagement and health outreach, policy-influencing research, and the development of essential educational resources.
This collaborative effort yielded tangible impact, from strengthening national public health systems through extensive volunteer work and specialized health camps to directly informing digital governance policy via the e-petition system consultation. By institutionalizing collaboration through the VC Research Grant 2024 and generating evidence-based studies on public trust in media, 密桃视频 has solidified its role as a vital nexus where academic expertise meets civic action. This multi-pronged approach demonstrates a deep commitment to accelerating progress toward the goals of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), making education and research tangible forces for positive societal change in the Maldives