In the Maldives, cardiovascular disease causes about one in three deaths, and around a third of adults live with high blood pressure. With communities spread across many islands, emergency help can take time to arrive. In those first critical minutes, the people nearby are often the only ones who can act. It is this reality that Hiyvarugadha is designed to address.
The Hiyvarugadha Campaign
Developed jointly by MRC and Tiny Hearts of Maldives over the past year, Hiyvarugadha — meaning “strong heart” is a campaign built around a simple but powerful vision: a heart-healthy Maldives, where anyone can save a life. Its core tagline, “Strong Heart, Ready Hands,” captures the two things the campaign seeks to build — heart health awareness and the readiness to act. The campaign was officially launched by MRC President Ali Nashid and the founders of Tiny Hearts of Maldives, Hishmath Faiz and Ali Muaz.
The campaign is built on three pillars: Know Your Heart, focused on heart health awareness, early detection, and advocacy; Learn to Act, building communities ready to give CPR through awareness, training, and practice; and Heart-Ready Communities, bringing awareness and skills together with access to AEDs and no one left behind. Together, the pillars bring together MRC’s first aid expertise and volunteer network with THM’s long-standing work in heart health.
Highlights from the Launch
The launch event featured a CPR awareness and demonstration by MRC volunteers, walking participants through how to respond when someone collapses from checking the scene and calling for help to starting hands-only CPR and using an AED. Tiny Hearts of Maldives led a session on heart health awareness and recognising the warning signs of a cardiac emergency, a reminder that a strong heart starts with knowing it.
The event concluded with the special launch of the Dhivehi CPR Playlist — a collection of local songs that match the recommended CPR rhythm of 100 to 120 beats per minute. The playlist features music by the late Mezzo Mohamed, one of the Maldives’ most beloved artists, whose family kindly gave permission for his songs to be used for this cause. They shared that it is deeply meaningful to see his music — which has been part of so many people’s lives — now help save lives. The playlist is available on YouTube and MRC and THM hope that more Maldivian artists will contribute over time. Check out the playlist -
Looking Ahead
Speaking at the launch, MRC Secretary General Ahmed Shabin underscored the importance of CPR as a life-saving skill that every community member should have and called for a more coordinated and harmonised approach to first aid and community-based CPR training nationally. He announced that MRC intends to convene a National Dialogue in 2027, bringing together government partners, health authorities, and key stakeholders to establish a shared framework for community CPR readiness across the Maldives. He also announced MRC’s commitment to delivering regular community-based CPR and first aid training in 2027 as a direct contribution to building that readiness from the ground up.
Hiyvarugadha is open to collaboration. MRC and Tiny Hearts of Maldives welcome government institutions, health services, schools, workplaces, and community groups to join any of the campaign pillars. To get involved or suggest songs for the Dhivehi CPR Playlist, contact firstaid@redcrescent.org.mv or info@tinyheartsofmaldives.org.