When it comes to helping those in need, there’s no better place to start than at home. The Malaysia Assistance Fund aims to support children and child-related development work in Malaysia. This includes health and nutrition, education, livelihood, and child protection projects.
The beneficiaries of this Fund are World Vision Malaysia’s Community Development Programmes (CDPs) in Mukim Tulid and Tatalaan, Sabah.
Facts on Poverty and Progress in Malaysia
The Absolute Poverty (i.e. being unable to meet the basic needs of life) rate in Malaysia
fell from 7.6% in 2016 to 5.6% in 2019.
Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia
As of 2019, in Malaysia,
20.7% of children under five suffer from stunting and 11.5% from wasting; 12.7% of children (5 to 19-year-olds) are obese.
Source: UNICEF
In 2017, Malaysia had a primary school completion rate of 99.5.
Children who drop out do so because of accessibility issues, lack of transportation and poverty.
Source: World Bank
What is World Vision doing in Sabah?
While the poverty rate in Sabah has decreased from 23.9% in 2016 to 19.5% in 2019, it still remains the highest in Malaysia.
In response to the needs in Sabah, World Vision Malaysia piloted its first Community Development Programme (CDP) in Mukim Tulid, Sabah in 2014. In 2017, a second CDP started in Mukim Tatalaan, Sabah.
In partnership with the local government and communities, both CDPs address major challenges faced by the local children and families, empowering them in the following ways:
Education
Working with Parent-Teacher Associations and the Education Department, we conduct workshops to equip and motivate parents to participate in their children’s learning. We also organise Children’s Clubs with community volunteers to spark children’s interest in learning and allow them to develop life skills.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
We raise awareness on handwashing and hair washing to effect behavioural change. The introduction of proper sanitation facilities i.e. toilets and clean water also improve the health of communities.
Health and Nutrition
We work with Community-based Organisations to organise health and nutrition awareness workshops, as well as Mothers’ Cooking Groups that train mothers on proper child feeding practices and nutritious food preparation. Home gardens allow households to improve their dietary diversity.
Livelihood
We build up the capacity of farmers’ groups to improve food crops in farms and home gardens. This will improve crop diversity and help farmers provide nutritious food to their families. We also identify supply chains and markets to develop opportunities for farmers groups to earn income.
Child Protection
Awareness sessions on parenting, positive discipline, child rights and child protection are conducted for students, parents, children, and community leaders so that everyone can play a role in keeping children safe. We seek to set up local referral systems for reporting issues of child abuse, violence and neglect. To achieve all this, we partner with community and faith leaders as well as welfare departments.
Community Empowerment
We identify community volunteers who are passionate about improving child well-being and equip them with knowledge and skills to facilitate workshops. Starter Groups assist in organising and mobilising the community to participate. Children’s Club Facilitators conduct lessons with children in their community, and Community-based Organisations play an important role in conducting health sessions and monitoring mothers with undernourished children.
If you would like to help us provide for the needs of the Tulid and Tatalaan communities, especially as they seek to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, choose an option below to make a contribution to the Malaysia Assistance Fund today!