KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 – Struggling families in Kuala Lumpur’s low-cost PPR flats will soon receive financial and social support through the Cash ‘Plus’ Pilot — a RM5 million initiative by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to tackle child poverty and malnutrition.
The partnership was formalised during a meeting held at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall on Monday, February 3, 2025, where Robert Gass, UNICEF Representative to Malaysia, met with Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the mayor of Kuala Lumpur.
This initiative, supported by the Ministry of Finance under Belanjawan 2025, aims to help low-income families in Kuala Lumpur by combining financial aid with essential child-focused services.
To date, approximately 150,000 Malaysians live in public and social housing in Kuala Lumpur, forming the largest concentration of urban poor in Malaysia.
“This vital partnership with DBKL goes beyond simply providing financial aid. By integrating essential services, we tackle child poverty and malnutrition, ensuring that children thrive in a safe and nurturing environment.
“We hope this model can pave the way for future child-focused social protection programmes in Malaysia,” said Gass.
The Cash “Plus” Pilot initiative builds on UNICEF’s Living on the Edge study, which highlighted persistent poverty, food insecurity, and barriers to education among low-income children.
Despite economic recovery, 95 per cent of PPR children still live in relative poverty, and half eat fewer than three meals a day.
Rising costs, financial constraints, and lack of social safety nets put families under severe stress.
The Cash “Plus” Pilot is designed to complement existing cash assistance programmes such as Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) by integrating cash assistance to children up to 5 years of age with additional community-based services.
These social services include nutrition and health interventions, parenting support, and early childhood development programmes targeted at pregnant mothers and children in their first 1,000 days of life.
Maimunah Mohd Sharif welcomed the pilot, recognising the urgency of addressing child poverty and supporting vulnerable communities.
The initiative aligns with the mayor’s five focus areas, the top of which is social inclusion to transform Kuala Lumpur into a City for All.
“A lot of effort and resources continue to be channeled to improve adequate housing for all especially the Bottom 40 communities living in Kuala Lumpur. However, what these communities need is support and the capacity to self-organise and become more resilient.
“DBKL is dedicated to play its facilitating, supporting and oversight role based on the mandate given to us by the federal government,” she said.
“Furthermore, we are expanding the K2K (Kita Untuk Kita) programme initiated together with Think City (a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional) in eight PPRs in Kuala Lumpur where we have identified, together with the local communities, areas of collaboration.
“This must start with nutrition for a healthy body which is the basis for stronger families and communities,” she added.
“This pilot represents a crucial step towards ensuring every child in Kuala Lumpur receives the nutrition, care, and services they need to thrive. UNICEF remains committed to working with DBKL and partners to scale effective solutions for children affected by poverty,” added Gass.
In the meeting, the mayor agreed to participate in the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) and affirmed her commitment to prioritising safer public spaces and inclusive facilities for all.
She also suggested stronger collaborations with communities, public and private partners towards strengthening resilience among children and young people against climate and disaster risks — aligning with the mayor’s vision for a livable and loveable Kuala Lumpur.
