President Dr Mohamed Waheed has abolished the Maldives Volunteers Corps (MVC) and its work has been reassigned to the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports.
“The Maldives Volunteers Corps was abolished because a number of its functions are performed by the Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports,” the President’s Office said in a statement.
The Ministry is now overseen by Mohamed ‘Mundhu’ Shareef, spokesperson for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
The Maldives Volunteer Corps was established in 2009 under the Ministry of Human Resources, to increase the participation of youth volunteers in various national and regional level social and economic programs.
Its international branch, the International Volunteers Programme (IVP), places international volunteers in positions within the health and education sectors in the country and was established in partnership with the Salisbury-based Friends of Maldives (FOM) NGO, and coordinated by the Maldives High Commission in London.
FOM recently announced a travel advisory concerning four resorts whose owners it alleged were involved in the ousting of the Maldives’ first democratically-elected President.
“Since the first free and fair presidential elections in the Maldives in October 2008, FOM has worked on promoting social issues and other development programs, primarily in Health and Education Sectors, with the International Volunteer Programme (IVP), the Maldives Volunteer Corps (MVC) and the Maldives High Commission (London),’ FOM said in a statement on its website.
“This activity has been jeopardised due to the violent removal of the democratically-elected government on February 7, 2012. Where health workers and teachers are able to stay, without danger to their safety, they will continue to work to benefit the Maldivian people.
“Unfortunately, this situation is becoming increasingly fragile as Maldivian people have been beaten, hospitalised and imprisoned across the country, and FOM’s focus is required to revert to protecting human rights and promoting social justice until safety and democracy is restored.”
There are 28 volunteers with the IVP program based across the Maldives for the current academic year.
MVC was the program’s local counterpart with the role of taking care of the volunteers, provide their induction and orientation, and liaise with the Ministry of Education throughout the academic cycle, explained former head of MVC, Mariyam Seena.
“The IVP was designed to meet the shortfall of skilled personnel in the academic sector and if the program is shut down, then it will be the children and the schools that will suffer,” she said.
“The schools that have IVP volunteers rely on them a lot – not only with teaching the students but running English programs for the local teachers as well.
“In late 2010 MVC received close to 100 requests for volunteers from schools all over the country which shows the urgent need for British volunteers.The program is into the third year and beginning to make a huge impact on the education system, so shutting it down would be a huge injustice for Maldivian students from the islands,” she concluded.
In an email to the IVP volunteers currently working in the Maldives, FOM founder David Hardingham advised them to register with the British High Commission in Colombo, “and please leave the country if you feel you are in any danger at all.”
“Friends of Maldives are now no longer official stakeholders in the program and following the events in Male and now in Addu, we are now resorting back to our former role as a human rights NGO,” he said.
Volunteers choosing to stay were advised to “follow their instincts”, “steer clear of gatherings”, and “don’t express an interest in one side or the other.”
“Things are unlikely to improve, at least in the short term,” Hardingham wrote. “The military coup and the subsequent crackdown on the huge Male demonstration has caused a lot of concern amongst progressive Maldivians who remember the heavy-handed former dictatorship. There is a lot of pain and anger out there and if demands are not met for elections then things could spiral for the worse.”
The Maldives Volunteer Corps was inaugurated in 2009 by Dr Waheed and then-President Mohamed Nasheed.
In a statement following the inauguration, Dr Waheed “noted the importance given by the President in establishing the Volunteers Corps.”
“Further, he said that Maldivians, in all walks of life, have been known for their helpfulness and kindness to each other. Speaking in this regard, the Vice President said that purpose of the Maldives Volunteers Corps included strengthening the spirit of cooperation and solidarity among the people and to increase interest in voluntary services.”
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Now I give up.
I can see clearly now the 'sea' is rising and Maldives is 'sinking'. Or to borrow from the title of our great comeback-and-now-Puppeteer leader's speech collection, 'Paradise is drowning.'
I give up folks. We are beyond redemption. Our nation is drowning; no, sinking. In an Abyss of regression.
Are we moving? Yes. Is it forward or backward? Well, what matters to some is that we are moving.
I give up!
Things are steadily getting worse in this country. The IVP programme was of immense benefit to people across the Maldives, especially far away from Male.
This is a deliberate policy to keep the Maldivians ignorant so that the tycoons and the Male elite can brainwash them easily.
Moreover, Frog Man Mundhu has no capability whatsoever to handle the "Youth" ministry, never mind running a programme like this. The pea brains are setting back the country by decades...
Deport all who are associated with Hardingham.
He is downright evil.
Its such a shame this has been abolished. Dr.Waheed played a huge role in its establishment. It was created not because MHRYS didn't have volunteers function - but to give additional importance to this. It was an initiative to promote volunteerism, which I've heard Dr.Waheed on several occasions have said was 'dying' and spoke on favor of this.
On the International Volunteers Program, has brought in so many qualified people to work in the health centers, schools and youth programs.
MVC mobilized 700 volunteers from 30 islands within one year and over the three years, 2000 local volunteers were listed in the MVC database from all over the country.
This is madness - we are going back to the dark ages. Soon we will be in debt again and begging for medicine again. Given the choice between being Singapore or Somalia, we will be Somalia in no time at this rate!
Waheed - a man from the United Nations - really????!!!!!
Friends of Maldives are not real friends.
Real friends do not call to boycot our resorts or do anything else that can reduce our income.
So I am not surprised that the government is not co-operating with these so-called friends (of Maldives).
There'a another more sinister motive for this. The Islamic hardliners do not like our children getting a modern balanced education and this is a deliberate knife into that.
The fundamentalists would like Pakistan style Madhrasas in this country and that's the direction we are heading. My advice to all expatriate teachers is to get out of the country while you can. Things will get worse under this regime!
Little by little Maumoon is placing back his men.Very clever old man...or are we blind?
couldn't resist commenting....
what are the educated young people of maldives doing?
it is you, who have to speak up....take lead...and educate the people...do it before you become a somalia.
don't make the mistake of electing criminals, businessmen, and hardliners back to power....
if you ever get another chance.
It's not a change for the better and brings the regime no closer to be legitimate than it was when formed soon after the February 7 coup against the popularly elected government by a mutiny in the police and the MNDF conspired by the opposition protest leaders led by the Jumhoori Party leader and the self-styled presidential candidate in the next presidential election, Mr Gasim Ibrahim backed by a number of other minority political parties.
Dr Waheed's regime will remain illegitimate until elected by the people in a presidential election. He and his government will be prosecuted for the highest crime against the state by any government based on rule of law and on the principles of the Constitution.
Following the coup that toppled the popular government of Mr Nasheed, the next presidential election is demanded and expected to be held earlier than scheduled.
@heartbroken on Fri, 24th Feb 2012 11:16 AM
We have a level of education which barely allows people to read and write in Dhivehi, 6 yrs of schooling on average for all adults alive today, to be precise.
The combination of arrogance+idiocy+foolhardiness+education just enough to consume propaganda is what our current plutocrats exploit.
We are bound to make mistakes, and many more
Welcome to Maldives 2012, France 1789, Rome 44BC.
Well the whole idea of bringing volunteers from England is part of the Christian Missionary plans. Friends of Maldives says it all...
Please we have enough educated, qualified ppl is Maldives. We dont need white trash!
Maldives Volunteer Corps was a good initiative and I believe it should be continued. Sad to read that it has been abolished.
to Adora
What evidence do you have that the volunteers are missionaries? It sounds to me that you have a nice pair of blinkers on. You do not need white trash, why do you use the products of what you call white trash, like the Internet to name one? Surely there are a few very educated Maldivians, I met a few, but I also met huge numbers of people so called muslims. Just in case you don't know, poor people, people without a proper education, have hope that after this life there will be something better. In other words, religion is another word for hope. Show us the evidence and the reasoning to believe in supernatural entities and after life, so we can follow you and not be dragged by supernatural believes.
@ Adora
You are just a rotten racist fellow!
@AnOther
Adora is a fictional commentator just to provoke you.
This is a bedroom-run blog that helps to provoke hatred in the community. Period.
@peasant,
you are right, but forgive me, i repeat...
"what are the educated young people of maldives doing?"
I happen to know quite a few of the educated, intelligent, young; not one of them want to speak up.
I happen to know quite a few of the the foolhardy too, they are the ones who need your help.
I happen to also know quite a few of the uneducated, simple people too - people who have no idea of money or material things - people who only know how to love and get screwed in return.
so mr/ms peasant, what makes you so confident that you can stand back and watch your people get screwed? what makes you to say "Welcome to Maldives 2012, France 1789, Rome 44BC."
get up and do something dho? u lazy bum.
speak to 10 people, ask them to speak to another 10. get moving.
Waheed should also change his name to Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and truly bring the old older back in by all means.
The world is amazing and the more we discover the more petty our private believes seem.
WAHEED IS FINDING THE VOLUTEERS A THREAT! HE WILL FIND MORE THREATS ARE LURKING IN HIS PATH , FOR SURE. WHAT AN "IDIOT"!
WAHEED! WHAT A PUUPET! ON A STRING, TOO!