Jeehan Mahmood, Chairperson of the Tiny Hearts of Maldives | MV+ Exclusive

“The biggest and most important foundation of Tiny Hearts’ work is to provide service without discrimination, ensuring that regardless of who or where the citizens are, the services provided by Tiny Hearts are accessible to everyone.”

In an exclusive interview with MV+, Tiny Hearts Of Maldives Chairperson Jeehan Mahmood reflects on the organization’s journey, its evolving approach to heart health and the challenges of reaching communities across the Maldives.

Tiny Hearts was founded in 2009 by Ali Muaz and Hishmath Faiz following the loss of their son Keyaan to a congenital heart defect at just two and a half months old. What began from a family’s experience of loss and the difficulties surrounding childhood heart conditions has since grown into an organisation working across prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation and community awareness.

Today, Tiny Hearts’ vision is of a heart-healthy Maldives where children can thrive, families are empowered, and communities have equitable access to preventive and accessible cardiovascular care. Its work has expanded beyond supporting children with congenital heart disease to addressing heart health across the life course.

In the interview, Jeehan speaks about how that evolution has also changed the way Tiny Hearts approaches its work. With the Maldives’ geography and the high cost of travelling between islands making nationwide programmes difficult to sustain, the organisation is increasingly focused on building local capacity rather than relying solely on teams travelling from Malé.

Through programmes such as Heart Health Champions and the BP Project, Tiny Hearts is working with island councils, WDCs, healthcare workers, sports counsellors and community leaders to enable people on individual islands to take a greater role in promoting heart health.

Jeehan also discusses Tiny Hearts’ Healthy Heart Programme and its efforts to make physical activity part of children’s everyday school routines, including the 2020 school corridor activity pilot at Ghaazee School.

From its beginnings in response to one family’s experience to its growing focus on prevention and community-led heart health, Jeehan shares how Tiny Hearts continues to adapt its work to reach more people across the Maldives.