Razak said the agency’s biggest challenge was the safety and security of the volunteers.

“The places we visit, such as Yemen, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, are dangerous. We have to be very careful,” he told FMT.

Razak said before embarking on a mission, the MRA team had to first do research.

“We send a team ahead on a reconnaissance mission with local partners in the country to check if the area is safe for us to visit.

“The team checks and reports back. We then decide if we should go or not.”

Razak said the information gathered also helped MRA determine the number of volunteers needed for the mission.

“Our local partners usually advise us on logistics and whether we are to provide funds, food, clothing or medical supplies, depending on the level of security in the area.”

Razak said there were times MRA had hired locals for protection.

“We went to Somalia in 2011 to help the people during the drought.

“We had to hire three snipers because everyone there had a gun. It was a war zone and we needed them for our protection.”

Razak said they also needed protection to get to the villages to provide aid.

“We supplied water because there was no water in the villages. We stationed ourselves at the water depot and supplied 10 to 20 water tankers daily to the villagers.”