New NGO, Thrive Society, established to address mental health and social issues

Thrive Society, a new non-governmental organization (NGO), has been established to work on identifying social issues in the Maldives and collaborate with government institutions on addressing social and mental health issues.

According to Thrive Society, it is an NGO dedicated to identifying and addressing health and social issues in the Maldives. In addition to this, the organization will also undertake efforts to raise public awareness—particularly about conditions like mental illnesses and endometriosis.

Thrive Society held its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday night, where members were elected to electoral posts of the organization. They include:

• Umar Ahmed Hussain as chairperson
• Mariyam Shakeeb as vice chairperson
• Mohamed Musaaid as general secretary
• Rishadha Rasheed as treasurer
• Mariyam Manik as administrative secretary
• Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Raaz, Mariyam Saadha, Fathimath Mizna, Aishath Hanaan Mohamed Didi and Aishath Suba as executive members.

Thrive Society has stated that it is currently in discussions with hospitals and clinics across the Maldives to bring in leading psychiatric specialists from around the world as visiting doctors, based on feedback received from the public. Specialists in endometriosis and other medical conditions will also be brought to the country as part of this initiative.

The organization said it also seeking to address the difficulties faced by parents who cannot meet their children. In this regard, Thrive Society said it will work alongside relevant authorities and lawyers to find a solution for this.

Speaking during the AGM, Thrive Society’s chairperson Umar said the NGO is scheduled to sign nine crucial agreements this year. He detailed that one such agreement is with Zeed International to conduct training programs for doctors on specializing in treating endometriosis.

He added that efforts are underway to formulate a syllabus on endometriosis in collaboration with Zeed International and its partner universities.

He also mentioned that a meeting had taken place with UNICEF, which expressed interest in signing an MoU for future collaborations. As such, he added that Thrive Society is considering partnering with UNICEF on various programs to be conducted across the islands.

Umar concluded by stating that he is committed to working with the Maldivian government and other institutions to thoroughly assess the challenges faced in the country and to develop effective solutions.