Ms. Shaufa Aminath (Maldives)
As-salāmu ʿalaykum(peace be upon you) I’m
Shaufa, a humanitarian worker by passion, anda project officer by profession from theMaldives Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Since 2014, I have been working for
the National Disaster Management Center(NDMC), the main coordinating body fordisaster management activities at the nationaland local level which was formed after thedestructive 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
For more than 10 years, NDMC wasinvolved in the response and coordination ofrelief efforts. Currently, NDMC adheres to a more holistic model which addresses the processes ofhazard identification, mitigation, community preparedness, integrated response efforts, and recovery.
These are planned for and undertaken continuously within a risk management context, and issues ofvulnerability in the Islands are addressed in partnership with international organizations, donor
agencies and other partners.
The Maldives experience low impact, high frequency disasters such as storm surges,
flooding due to heavy rainfall, and urban fires. Hence our work has focused on preparedness,mitigation, relief, and response activities over the past few years. During emergency situations, allstaff members work at the emergency operation center (EOC) until the situation subsides, providing
shelter and basic necessities for the Internally Displace People (IDP’s) During emergencies, my keyrole is in information dissemination, planning, and IDP management.
As a project officer in the Disaster Risk Reduction unit, I am tasked with theimplementation and facilitation of projects from local and donor agencies. That is, I carry out
community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) efforts, including two core trainings: theIsland Disaster Management Planning Workshop (IDMP) and the Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) trainings in local island communities. I also work to raise community awareness ofdisaster risk reduction, and conduct various school-based awareness programs and activities.
Furthermore, I am involved in most of the planning and implementation of various
trainings and workshops organized by the NDMC. As the Communications and Information Officer,
I manage the official web-based elements, social media profiles, and outreach. I also act as the focal
point for the Information Commissioner office of the Maldives while assisting in the ongoingdevelopment of emergency operations and the development of other program guidelines andstandard operating procedures.
Nevertheless, during my tenure at ADRC I believe that I will be able to make a positive
contribution to the organization and have a positive impact on the people I work with, especially in
the DRR and Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) education sector. I look forward toequipping others with proper disaster prevention knowledge while having the chance to develop andenhance my own skills.
I’m beyond grateful for the immense learning opportunity this program offers in terms ofhelping me more effectively make a difference at both the local and national levels. I would like toconvey my sincere gratitude to the government of Japan, ADRC family, my fellow visiting
researchers of 2018 from India and Malaysia and to the friends in Japan for the time I will get tospend exploring and learning more about disaster preparedness measures.