Our Background

The Mercy Center of Humanitarian Development (MCHD) is a center in professional development, equipping communities and organizations with the capability and capacity on humanitarian-development to address complex humanitarian challenges and build more resilient and sustainable future.

The Mercy Center of Humanitarian Development (MCHD) is a center in professional development, equipping communities and organizations with the capability and capacity on humanitarian-development to address complex humanitarian challenges and build more resilient and sustainable future.

MCHD also leverages on research, advocacy and consultancy to pragmatically increase awareness and dissemination of relevant humanitarian-development topics to enhance understanding of humanitarian issues and integrate evidence-based decision-making.

As part of its mission, MCHD also provides tailored strategic programmes and system development support services aimed at enhancing programmatic and institutional capacities to augment the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of humanitarian interventions and systems.

Needs

Organizational Development

  • Support knowledge, capacity, skills and technical development for organizations and agencies working within the sector
  • Institutional learning for building better responses and development initiatives
  • Facilitation and promotion of partnerships and networks

Innovative Education

  • Complimentary education for researchers and practitioners
  • Experiential learning with focus on application-based theories and methods
  • Professional education workshops
  • Life-long, continuous education

Knowledge Hub

  • Knowledge and information provider
  • Knowledge and information repository
  • Knowledge and information recipient
  • Documentation, editing, archiving, publishing
  • Resource center (one-stop for all)

Humanitarian Operations

  • Knowledge, skills and competencies needed for current and  future humanitarian operations
  • Skills and competences required for the evolving global trends of the sector

Humanitarian Trends

  • Large scale forced migration
  • Extreme poverty and inequality
  • Resource scarcity
  • Changing nature of violence 
  • Violence against aid workers 
  • Climate crisis
  • Urbanization
  • Increasing number of actors
  • Deterioration of human rights
  • Others 

Humanitarian Leadership

  • Improving the delivery of services to those in need of humanitarian assistance
  • Strategic vision, effective communications, and negotiation in humanitarian and development

Disaster and Climate Risks

  • Climate risks and infectious threats of the 21st century 
  • Climate-resilient development
  • Transboundary disaster and climate risks and effects 
  • Proactive risk-informed decisions and action to mobilize finance, investment and communities

Risk Prevention

  • Words into Actions
  • Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) assessment
  • Multi-sectoral and transdisciplinary approaches
  • DRR as vehicle for conflict prevention and peace building
  • Systemic risk and the systems-based approaches 

Sustainable Development

  • Risk to sustainable development
  • Vulnerable people, ecosystems and infrastructures
  • Coherent planning, implementation and reporting systems
  • Risk-informed development
  • Working with data

ENABLING EFFECTIVE
HUMANITARIAN DEVELOPMENT

 Professionalizing the humanitarian sector through capability and capacity building.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

The Mercy Center of Humanitarian Development (MCHD) provides a structured approach to its humanitarian action learning and development initiatives, offering a variety of capability building delivery methods, including field trainings, workshops and seminars, to accommodate diverse learning preferences and contexts.

MCHD leverages on MERCY Malaysia’s vast experience and expertise on knowledge creation and sharing, process and procedures and good governance practices. MCHD will also tap on MERCY Malaysia’s strong network of humanitarian actors to facilitate connections, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.

Among training needs and priorities identified include the Emergency Medical Team Training, Psychosocial First Aid, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Building Resilient Communities, Volunteer Induction Program, School Preparedness Program and related humanitarian leadership programs.

RESEARCH, ADVOCACY AND CONSULTANCY

The Mercy Center of Humanitarian Development (MCHD) is designed as a multidisciplinary and applied shared initiative of MERCY Malaysia that aims to inspire critical, relevant and new knowledge related to humanitarian management ranging from natural disasters, human-made disasters and/or complex emergencies. By integrating research, advocacy, and consultancy functions within its multidisciplinary framework, MCHD contributes significantly to advancing knowledge, promoting best practices, and enhancing the effectiveness of humanitarian response efforts in diverse contexts.

Through the production and use of systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis in research, MCHD increases the promotion and dissemination of  key humanitarian issues, which include humanitarian aid, sustainable health development, disaster risk reduction and management, reconstruction, rehabilitation as well as sustainable development.

MCHD is also resolute in further advancing its mission of supporting inclusive social development, cohesion, and economic change by facilitating constructive advocacy and strategic communications through evidence-based policy inputs and best practices supported by innovative, inclusive and participatory capacity building as well as engagements and collaborations with national and international stakeholders/partners. 

By offering comprehensive consultancy services encompassing these areas, MCHD can effectively support clients in developing and implementing impactful humanitarian action plans while fostering alignment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework, seizing opportunities in shaping communities’ beliefs and behaviors to achieve inclusive development and social cohesion.

STRATEGIC PROGRAMMES AND SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

Mercy Center of Humanitarian Development (MCHD) provides tailored strategic programmes and system development support to organisations and institutions engaged in humanitarian and development work. 

Among services related to strategic programmes and system development include:

1. Collaborating with partners to design and implement innovative programs and systems that address the evolving needs of the humanitarian and development sectors

2. Evaluating existing resources and systems to identify areas for improvement and optimization

3. Providing technical assistance and support to organizations and institutions to strengthen programmatic and institutional capacities