Mohd Muhaimin (Min) bin Ridwan Wong began his career as a university lecturer in civil engineering after graduating with a master's degree in Engineering. Due to his interest in research, Min decided to switch to a position as a research officer at the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Research Centre of the National Defense University of Malaysia. Min’s scope of work typically involves understanding the perceptions, attitudes, strategies and responses of different societal stakeholders towards emergencies and disasters. Aside from research, Min is also actively involved in various capacity building, community engagement and knowledge transfer programs. These programs have led him to engage stakeholders from civil agencies, the armed forces and community members to build and strengthen their individual and collective response capacities.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Enhancing Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation For Small Island Community on Redang Island, Malaysia

This this project aimed to: Assess local communities' disaster preparedness and climate change knowledge; Enhance understanding of hazards, impacts and approaches to sustainable adaptation; Develop a guideline for local stakeholders to identify opportunities, promote effective utilization of resources and strengthen preparedness and resilience against traditional and emerging threats.

Through this project, 145 people were surveyed about disaster hazards and climate change impacts in Kampung Baru on Redang Island. In total, 37 people attended the project’s workshops on disaster hazards and climate change impacts and learned how to better respond to disasters in the future. The participants of this project showed an overall improvement in their knowledge of the diversity of hazards present in the country and the island itself, as well as the potential impacts on the island's tourism industry. After the workshops, the participants received guidebooks about the topics covered during the workshops so that they could carry this knowledge with them in the future.

Discussion and setting up at the community hall.

Focus group discussion with village community.

Brief talk on hazards in and around Malaysia.

A survey to gauge locals’ knowledge and awareness, with respect to sustainable climate change adaptation.

IVLP Exchange Experience

Mohd was a participant in the IVLP Project Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, organized by the U.S. Department of State and CRDF Global.

Mohd's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "My participation in the IVLP was incredibly rewarding as it provided opportunities to look at different perspectives, knowledge and experiences shared by the panels and fellow participants alike. Programs like this allow us to refine our approaches and potentially produce better outcomes for our goals in disaster risk reduction and community development."

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually 

Washington, DC; Orlando, FL; Iowa City, IA; East Lansing, MI: Minot, ND

"I was able to expand my professional network with peers within this field from other countries so that we can hopefully work towards mutually beneficial outcomes." - Mohd Muhaimin bin Ridwan Wong

Country: Malaysia

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