home. fleeting thoughts. contact me.








I am a journalist and editor from the Maldives, covering social issues. I'm a strong believer that individual stories are essential to understanding the bigger picture.

Data Journalism: My Story on Analysing Two Decades of Divorce Stats in the Maldives

Divorce is often spoken about as if it were a recent problem in our culture. A rising issue, a moral failing that’s spiraling out of control. However, the uncovered data points to a much more complex pattern.

For more than two decades, divorce has remained consistently high across generations and clustered around certain regions.

Read more here

Data Journalism: My Story on Government Spending

Government spending is not inherently bad. However, where and how that spending is structured matters.

Most of the spending goes towards running the government, not development.

A breakdown of 2025 expenditure data from the Ministry of Finance shows that approximately MVR 37.4 billion (85 percent) was spent on recurrent expenditure, compared to only around MVR 6.8 billion (15 percent) in capital spending. This means that 85 per cent, or 5 in every 6 rufiyaa, go toward maintaining the state; salaries, administrative costs, subsidies, and debt servicing. While only 1 in every 6 rufiyaa is spent on infrastructure and development projects.



Read more here

Everyone Has a Story Worth Telling

MV+ •

Shayan, A Teenager Who Experienced Cyberbullying

“Doctor says I appear effeminate because I grew up around a lot of women,” says Ahmed Shayaan, a teenager who turned to the Internet for mental health but was met with bullying instead.

Shayaan began making Tiktok videos early last year. He said explaining his intention, “I have horrible social anxiety. And I wanted to dance, for my emotional happiness.”

Shayaan said his friends at the time encouraged him to post these videos publicly, which he did. But he deleted the videos once he realized h
MV+ •

Meet Soodhaththa, Oldest Midwife of Hulhumeedhoo Who Delivered Over 1400 Babies

“I’ve seen a lot of infants on the verge of death. Some babies I delivered had eaten fecal matter in their womb, and others had the umbilical cord wrapped around their necks,” says Soodhaththa, oldest midwife (ފޫޅުމައި) of Hulhumeedho who delivered over 1400 babies.

“I am now more than 90 years old. My mother was a midwife and she also helped prepare the dead to be buried. I followed my mother’s footsteps and did these things too.”

Soodhatha started as a midwife’s assistant before becoming a m
MV+ •

Thanzy, Strong Advocate for Save the Natural Beach of Villimale’

“I’ve made so many memories on this beach. This is where my husband and I came to celebrate our wedding, it is where so many of my nieces and nephews had their first swim and this is where we even decided to form our NGO.”

Thanzy is the proud co-founder of Save the Beach, and she has been fighting steadfastly in a never-ending battle to preserve the fleeting beauty of our country.

“After the various developments that began in Villingili in the 90s, there were only three stretches of beach left
MV+ •

Ahmed Waheed, Fighting to Halt Male’ City Council’s Operations at Villin’gili Beach

“From the youngest to the eldest, this is the only area that we can use as a proper beach. Whether you are from Malé or a different island, this is the only beach that we have left here.”

Ahmed Waheed is among residents of Villingili who have been lobbying for the protection of the beach following the deforestation of the Eastern shoreline that began earlier this year in March, for the development of a fiberglass boatyard.

According to the regulations under the Ministry of Planning, Housing an
MV+ •

Rae Munavvar, Experienced Journalist Covering Conservation

“It broke my heart to see the damage those incidents did to him and how it impacted him as a writer, as a human being,” says Rae Munavvar, describing a fellow journalist getting assaulted and arrested.

“I think that was one of the hardest things I had to face,” she explained, talking about her colleague. “It was one of those moments where I felt like I wanted so badly to create that space, a safe space for my journalists. I can’t guarantee your safety in a rally, I can’t guarantee your safety w
MV+ •

Ali Sulaiman, Seasoned Reporter Advocating for Issue-based Journalism

“Social media has become very powerful. Breaking news journalism doesn’t work anymore,” says Ali Sulaiman, a seasoned journalist in the Maldives who has been in the industry for over 17 years.

Before he became a well-known broadcast reporter in the country, Ali Sulaiman used to be a teacher in his home island Th. Vilufushi. He was displaced from his island to Male’ by the Tsunami of 2004, and took a job in a local newspaper afterwards.

He believes that journalists in the country needs to repor
MV+ •

Laisha, Political and Judiciary Journalist

“Question things. It’s your right to question. And it’s your right to get answers,” says Laisha Ahmed Zaki, local journalist covering news on law and courts.


Laisha expressed that she has always been passionate about writing, and journalism is a career path that allows her to do that.


“I never had to take this as a job. Rather this feels more like a passion. I like to ask questions, and question things. Journalism is where I get to get the answers and present them as well,” Laisha said, ex
MV+ •

Sama, Diagnosed with Endometriosis, Defied All Odds

“All the doctors looked at my report and said that there was no chance for me to have children,” says Sama, who was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition that can influence the fertility of women in many ways.


Sama and her first husband opted for IVF since they were having difficulty trying to conceive. The doctor wanted to do additional tests to see if Sama’s ovaries were in a viable condition. This is when they discovered that the cyst was stuck to her ovary and had grown 8cm. The docto
MV+ •

Afa, Domestic Abuse Survivor

“He never touched me. I want to emphasize this, he didn’t touch me,” says Afa, a now-single mother, and a strong survivor of financial and emotional domestic abuse.


Afa has always been an outspoken child, who excelled in her schools, held elected school posts, and a passionate advocate for social justice.


Afa describes marrying at the young age of 21 years old to a narcissist as the biggest mistake of her life.

Ever since childhood, Afa has always suffered from severe anxiety attacks, whi

Male' City, Before & After: A Photostories Project

MV+ •

Male’ City, Before and After Congestion (Part 3)

This is our ongoing project to show you some locations of the capital city Male’, before and after its congestion.

These photos are proof that a disproportionate amount of funds have been poured into the Greater Male’ Region for years while other islands are fighting for basic necessities.

This city did not become overpopulated by accident, but it was a series of policy decisions that forced migration to Male’.

Bad decisions made this happen but that also means good decisions can remedy this
MV+ •

Male’ City, Before and After Congestion (Part 2)

We are continuing with our project to show you some locations of the capital city Male’, before and after its congestion.

It seems that Male’ is always evolving. New infrastructure projects to further “develop” the dense capital city are announced every presidential election by all candidates. Over 77 such projects are already listed in Isles.gov.mv for this year, which was budgeted at more than MVR 778 million.

What’s more, Finance Ministry proposed a budget of over MVR 990 million for develo
MV+ •

Male’ City, Before and After Congestion (Part 1)

Malé City is a maze. Scattered with narrow streets and lego-like buildings, everyone would agree that the dense capital city of the Maldives is now overpopulated. And many would agree that centralisation is the cause of this overpopulation.

Years of concentrating development in the capital and neglecting the other islands have forced people to migrate to Male’ City for basic necessities. As a result, many are now unable to afford appropriate housing.

The latest statistics for 2020 show that 22

Most Recent Reads

MV+ •

Divorce in the Maldives Is Not on the Rise. It Has Already Settled at a High

The irony of the Maldives being marketed as a honeymoon destination to the world while the country is also noted for its high divorce rate is not lost on most people. 


At some point in the late 2000s, something shifted in the Maldivian society. Every year, the country records thousands of divorce cases. Close to 3,500 divorce cases have been finalised annually in recent years. That’s close to 10 divorce cases a day. 


Divorce is often spoken about as if it were a recent problem in our cultu...
MV+ •

Spending More, Building Less: An Exploration of Government Spending

As the world grapples with a global economic crisis triggered by the Middle East war, which could drag on for an indefinite amount of time, governments across the world are forced to reassess spending priorities. For the Maldives, which relies on tourism and imports, these pressures hit at the most inopportune time, when government spending is already soaring high.


In the past decade alone, the Maldives government’s spending has more than doubled. In 2015, government spending stood at MVR 21....
MV+ •

Waste Woes in Fuvahmulah: WAMCO Faces Allegations of Burying Waste

Last Tuesday night at Fuvahmulah City, Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Fuvahmulah City Council attended to complaints regarding excavation and burial of waste at the site operated by Waste Management Corporation Limited (WAMCO).

An official from the Police told MV+ that they were attending to claims made on WAMCO workers excavating and selling sand from their site, however, they did not find such activities.

“Police attended the WAMCO area early last night after receiving information that sa
MV+ •

Editorial: Permanent Address, Current Address: The Time to Talk About This is Now!

Ahmed moved from Addu to Male’ when he was just six years old, in 2000. His parents brought him to the Capital city to give him a better education, and he has been living here ever since. He goes to school in Male’, and found a job in Male’ when he was old enough, he is now married and has children of his own.

Even though Ahmed has not been to Addu in decades, for the coming Parliamentary Elections 2024, he is going to cast his ballot to the constituency of S. Hithadhoo; an island in which he h

Follow Me