ASEAN AND BEYOND PARTNERSHIPS

SWRC IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNICEF AND EPRI

UNICEF Malaysia Pilot Cash Plus Programme for Households with Children under Five (U5)

UNICEF Malaysia has engaged the Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI), with support from the Social Wellbeing Research Centre (SWRC) as the national team, to develop the model and design of a pilot Cash Plus programme for households with children under the age of five (U5) residing in Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) communities in Kuala Lumpur.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) Malaysia has allocated RM5 million under the 2025 national budget to support the development and implementation of this initiative. The three-year pilot aims to improve nutritional outcomes for young children living in public housing by combining cash transfers with integrated health and nutrition services, adopting a holistic approach to child and family wellbeing.

The programme emphasizes close collaboration with local government bodies and community-based organisations already active in the PPRs. This ensures the intervention is tailored to the specific needs of each community while reducing the risk of exclusion. The “Plus” component of the pilot will focus on Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) strategies designed to enhance caregivers' knowledge, attitudes and practices in areas such as child development, nutrition, health, feeding and hygiene.

This pilot marks a significant milestone in Malaysia’s efforts to strengthen its social protection system. It also serves as an advocacy tool for shifting away from narrow income-targeting approaches toward the development of more inclusive and universal social protection mechanisms. By focusing on families with young children and pregnant mothers, the initiative contributes to the broader goal of establishing a national Social Protection Floor across the life cycle, in line with ILO Recommendation No. 202 (2012).

Contact Person: Dr. Haniza Khalid, Senior Research Associate, SWRC