MERCY Malaysia - 2026 | Merdeka Award

MERCY Malaysia

Recipient of Outstanding Contribution to Education & Community 2026

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Dato' Professor Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman

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Something that is worth doing is often tough, but the rewards can be big.

Serving Humanity, Strengthening Communities

In 1999, as conflict and displacement engulfed Kosovo, a small group of Malaysian doctors and volunteers made their way to the Balkans to help.

They were far from home, with no large humanitarian organisation behind them. What they brought were their professional skills, compassion and a conviction that would come to define their work when people are in need, assistance should reach them regardless of race, religion, nationality or political affiliation. That first mission was the beginning of the Malaysian Medical Relief Society or better known as MERCY Malaysia.

Twenty-seven years later, MERCY Malaysia has undertaken more than 500 missions across over 35 countries, responding to disasters, conflicts, disease outbreaks and displacement while helping communities prepare for future risks. The scale of that journey makes MERCY Malaysia’s receipt of the 2026 Merdeka Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education & Community especially significant. Yet the organisation sees the honour not simply as recognition of what it has achieved, but as a responsibility to keep serving. It shares the recognition with the volunteers, staff, donors, partners and above all, with the communities that have placed their trust in MERCY Malaysia at some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Kosovo Humanitarian Mission in 2019, where our humanitarian journey began.

From Kosovo to a Global Humanitarian Presence

MERCY Malaysia’s early years were shaped by some of the region’s most devastating emergencies.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was one such moment. MERCY Malaysia was among the earliest international humanitarian organisations to reach Aceh, where the scale of devastation demanded both urgency and staying power.

It subsequently responded to the 2005 Nias-Simeulue earthquake and established a field hospital after the Kashmir earthquake. They supported flood-affected communities in Pakistan, assisted victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan, worked with Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan and responded to the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Its approach has also been guided by knowing when partnerships may be more effective than direct deployment. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, MERCY Malaysia chose to support Medical Emergency Relief International in delivering assistance rather than duplicating efforts already underway, a reflection of an approach that places need ahead of visibility.

Closer to home, the organisation has responded repeatedly to major Malaysian floods. During the 2021 floods in Pahang, Melaka and Kelantan, its recovery programmes helped rebuild 82 homes and restore access to clean water for more than 1,000 people.

This ability to respond across very different settings rests on the relationships and trust they have built over time. When a major earthquake struck Mandalay, Myanmar, in March 2025, MERCY Malaysia was able to deploy within 48 hours, supported by its permanent presence in Yangon since 2008 and longstanding relationships with local authorities. In 2026, its humanitarian work continued in Lebanon, providing emergency medical assistance alongside food aid and water, sanitation and hygiene support.

Responding to the Pakistan Earthquake Crisis in 2005.

Aceh Tsunami Emergency Medical Response, 2005.

Where the Need is Greatest

Some of MERCY Malaysia’s most demanding work has unfolded in places where conflict, displacement and damaged infrastructure make delivering even basic healthcare extraordinarily difficult.

In Gaza, where MERCY Malaysia has maintained a humanitarian presence since 2009, the scale of need has intensified significantly. In 2024 alone, RM24.25 million was channelled towards its response, reaching more than 130,000 people with healthcare, clean water and essential relief. Medical points and specialised medical teams delivered more than 26,000 primary healthcare services and over 5,000 specialised interventions, alongside broader health, water, food security and shelter programmes.

Elsewhere, during the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Cox’s Bazar in 2017 and 2018, nearly 25,000 refugees received medical and psychosocial support.

In 2023, MERCY Malaysia also mobilised significant resources following the devastating Türkiye-Syria earthquakes, delivering 4.8 tonnes of supplies and raising millions of Malaysian Ringgit to support affected communities. In 2026, it re-initiated medical services to Sudan, providing medical Integrated Life-Saving Services for Maternal and Child Health in Hayya, Red Sea State.

Working in environments such as these requires more than the willingness to help. It demands medical expertise, disciplined coordination and the ability to operate effectively when, resources and access are constrained. In 2023, that capability received international recognition when MERCY Malaysia became the first Asian non-governmental organisation to be classified by the World Health Organization as a Type 1 Fixed Emergency Medical Team. The milestone placed Malaysian humanitarian medical professionals within an internationally recognised emergency response system and affirmed that an organisation born from a small volunteer mission in Kosovo had developed capabilities that met global standards.

WHO EMT Type 1 fixed verification in 2023, a milestone in humanitarian excellence.

Gaza Emergency Response, “Standing with Gaza”, 2023–present.

Integrated Life-Saving Services for Maternal and Child Health in Sudan, 2026.

Health in Sudan, 2026. Pakistan Earthquake Relief Mission in 2025.

Building Resilience, Not Dependency

For MERCY Malaysia, however, responding to a crisis is only part of the job.

The harder question is what happens after the emergency teams leave. In 2005, it became an early adopter of Total Disaster Risk Management, linking immediate response with preparedness, recovery and long-term resilience. Through its Building Resilient Communities initiative. MERCY Malaysia has taken this thinking into disaster-prone communities across Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, helping people to recover from disasters and become better equipped for the next one.

In 2024 alone, more than 1,300 people participated in disaster risk reduction and community-based preparedness programmes, while 295 healthcare professionals and volunteers received training in emergency response, public health and disaster readiness.

The importance of this approach became particularly clear during COVID-19. MERCY Malaysia co-founded the National COVID Response Team and supported national healthcare efforts, while the Ministry of Health and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) entrusted the organisation with supporting COVID-19 testing among refugee communities. Its Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Helpline later contributed to a broader national conversation around mental health and psychosocial support.

In Malaysia, MERCY Malaysia has also worked to close the distance between healthcare and communities that struggle to access it. In 2022, its mobile clinic services in the Klang Valley supported more than 123,000 people, while outreach teams brought medical, dental and eye screening to underserved areas in Sabah.

Through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programmes in places such as Gua Musang and Simunjan, communities were supported to manage gravity-fed filtration systems and strengthen hygiene practices. Across these efforts, clean water access has been restored for nearly 39,000 people. The organisation’s longer-term health initiatives include its Cleft Lip and Palate Project, which has supported more than 200 surgeries.

Supporting the nation through hospital assistance significance” and medical equipment as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, 2019-2021.

Providing food aid and community support, 2019-2021.

Supporting large-scale screening and testing efforts, 2019-2021.

Trust as the Measure of Service

MERCY Malaysia’s reach has grown enormously over the years, but so too has the community behind it.

From about 240 people in 2004, its volunteer network has expanded to more than 3,000 by 2025. Public donations and partnerships remain central to its work, reflecting a wider culture of Malaysian volunteerism and collective responsibility. That spirit of collective responsibility has sustained the organisation, enabling it to respond wherever help is needed while building the professional standards expected of an international humanitarian organisation.

Those standards have earned MERCY Malaysia recognition, including Humanitarian Accountability Partnership certification in 2007 and the Prime Minister’s Innovation Award in 2013. Longstanding collaborations with organisations including WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance, government agencies and corporate partners have further strengthened its ability to respond with professionalism and accountability, even in complex humanitarian settings.

For MERCY Malaysia, however, the most meaningful achievement is not the number of missions completed or resources mobilised. It is the trust earned from communities. Its philosophy remains that people affected by crisis are not passive recipients of aid, but partners in rebuilding their lives. The organisation’s role is to listen, respond with dignity and help strengthen the resilience that already exists within communities.

It is this philosophy that gives particular meaning to MERCY Malaysia’s receipt of the 2026 Merdeka Award. The honour recognises a Malaysian humanitarian organisation whose journey has shown that compassion is strongest when matched with professionalism, preparedness and sustained service.

MERCY Malaysia International Humanitarian Conference - a gathering of humanitarian leaders, 2024.

Sharing the road ahead and programme achievements.

“Be courageous in your compassion. Use your skills, knowledge and talents in service of others. Seek not only success, but supporting the nation through hospital assistance significance”

Disclaimer:
The information in this award recipient's profile is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the time the award was presented. Any subsequent changes, updates, or developments in the individual's life or achievements may not be reflected in this profile.

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