“Hushiyaaru” Awareness Campaign Aimed Towards Building Climate Ready Communities

The “Hushiyaaru” campaign was a joint initiative implemented by the Maldives Red Crescent (MRC) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the SPRING Project, aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness, enhancing climate resilience, and building community capacity across the Maldives. The campaign was part of the projects interventions to address growing need for communities to become better equipped to face the increasing risks posed by climate change and environmental hazards.

Its overarching goal was to foster climate-ready communities,  empowering individuals, institutions, and local systems to understand risks, adapt to evolving conditions, and proactively prepare for future threats.

Campaign Focus and Impact

The campaign was built around three central objectives:

• Raising Awareness: Enhancing public understanding of climate change impacts in the Maldives and the importance of proactive preparedness.
• Encouraging Behavioural Change: Inspiring adoption of climate-resilient practices and empowering communities to take concrete action.
• Promoting Inclusivity: Ensuring the participation of all, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, migrant workers, women, and the elderly.

Through a range of outreach activities, community dialogues, and inclusive engagement, the campaign produced a variety of communication materials and resources designed to build awareness and support action disaster risk reduction, prepadrness and climate resilience. The campaign actively engaged the general public and key stakeholders, with a particular focus on communities within the project’s target regions.

Next Phase of Hushiyaaru: From project initiative to national level campaign platform

As part of the campaign’s natural progression and in recognition of the need for stronger national coordination, the next phase of Hushiyaaru was led by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Government of Maldives lead agency for disaster management. This transition strengthened institutional alignment and streamlined efforts around disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and climate resilience, while also integrating key elements such as Early Warning for All into the campaign’s scope.

This evolution represents one of the most significant legacies of the SPRING Project following it's conclusion in 2024,  transforming its outcomes, knowledge, and resources into a dynamic national level initative for bigger impact. The close partnership between NDMA and MRC was instrumental not only in designing and delivering the initial Hushiyaaru campaign under the project, but also in shaping its growth into the next phase as a national initiative. This strong collaboration provided the technical expertise, strategic direction, and shared vision needed to transition Hushiyaaru from a project-level activity into a cornerstone of disaster preparedness and climate resilience in the Maldives, uniting government institutions, humanitarian actors, national and international partners  in a shared commitment to building a safer and more resilient

Under this new phase, NDMA will lead the national-level rollout of Hushiyaaru in partnership with MRC and other key partners, ensuring a coordinated, whole-of-society approach to building resilience across the country. As part of this transition, all resources, tools, and communication materials developed under the SPRING Project will now be integrated into the national campaign. 

To learn more about the national campaign, visit - www.hushiyaaru.mv