Malaysia

Malaysia

Malaysia strives to enhance the lives of underserved families

Many households in Malaysia, especially the bottom-tier households (B40) still grapple with the stark reality of their monthly household income falling below the country’s estimated living wage1 2. The struggle to put food, especially nutritious food on the table is real and is often extended beyond monetary aspect. It touches upon the emotional wellbeing and parent-child relationship that are critical for the development a child.

Malnourishment is a major concern in Malaysia. According to Urban Child Poverty Report published by UNICEF3, 97% of households say that high food prices prevent them from preparing healthy meals for their children, with 1 in 2 do not have enough money to buy food in recent months and 15% experience this frequently. More than 1 in 10 children have less than three meals a day, with 1 in 5 is stunted, and 1 in 10 is underweight. 

Generali Malaysia firmly believes that early childhood experience affects the foundation for all future learning, behaviour and health. Our mission is to provide unwavering support to the underserved families, especially those struggling to afford nutritious food.  

In collaboration with Yayasan Generasi Gemilang, our program focuses on helping vulnerable families with young children (0 – 3 years) to provide them with nutritious food, which are critical for their health and development. Besides extending fresh and nutritious food boxes, the program is also designed to educate parents about the importance of giving nutritious food to children through family workshops, cooking classes, support group, body measurement and health assessment.

The program

Project Makan Sihat

A nutrition-sensitive social protection program that aims to improve nutrition and health of children below 3 years old who suffer from triple burden of malnutrition (undernutrition, hidden hunger and micronutrient deficiency). The primary focus is to provide additional nutritious food to extremely high-need families and enhance parental awareness and knowledge on early childhood nutrition.

Partners involved

Local activities

Yayasan Generasi Gemilang (GG)

The Human Safety Net for Families in Malaysia is partnering with Yayasan Generasi Gemilang (GG), a charity organization that focuses on improving education and nutrition for vulnerable communities in Malaysia. The partnership is propelled by a shared belief that Love can transform Malaysia, where the next generation is exemplary, and families are empowered.

Generali Malaysia is partnering with Yayasan Generasi Gemilang to develop Project Makan Sihat to improve the nutritional wellness by providing children from underserved families with nutritional food boxes on a regular basis. Importantly, the program is also developed to educate and improve the wellness knowledge among the underserved communities in Malaysia.

The goal is to help these families build healthier, more stable family environments for their children, who in turn will have a better chance at breaking the poverty cycle as they grow up and bring positive change to their home and community.

1. Central Bank of Malaysia, ‘The Living Wage: Beyond Making Ends Meet’, March 2018,  https://www.bnm.gov.my/documents/20124/826852/AR+BA4+-+The+Living+Wage+Beyond+Making+Ends+Meet.pdf, accessed on 15 September 2023

2. Ministry of Economy Department of Statistics Malaysia, ‘Statistics on Household Income & Basic Amentinities’, ‘Household Income Survey Report 2022 (Malaysia & States)’, 28 July 2023, https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/household-income-survey-report--malaysia--states, accessed on 15 September 2023

3. United Nations Childrens’ Fund, Malaysia, ‘Children Without’, February 2018,    https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/media/261/file/Children%20Without%20(ENG).pdf, accessed on 15 September 2023