Breaking the Cycle Empowering Multi-Ethnic Communities Through Integrated Social Welfare Programs in Kuala Langat, Selangor
Keywords:
social welfare, poverty alleviation, community development, ethnic integration, household resilience, microenterprise developmentAbstract
This community service initiative addresses multidimensional poverty and social welfare challenges affecting multi-ethnic communities in Kuala Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia. The eighteen-month integrated program engaged 247 households from Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnic communities experiencing economic vulnerability, social marginalization, and limited access to welfare resources. Utilizing asset-based community development approaches, the intervention combined skills training, microenterprise development, healthcare access facilitation, educational support, and social capital building to strengthen household resilience and wellbeing. Participatory methodology emphasized community agency and cross-ethnic collaboration, challenging social fragmentation affecting welfare outcomes. Results demonstrated significant improvements across multiple welfare dimensions, with 73 percent of participating households achieving income increases averaging 42 percent, 89 percent reporting improved healthcare access, and measurable enhancements in social cohesion and collective efficacy. The program established sustainable community-led welfare structures bridging ethnic divisions while connecting marginalized populations with government welfare systems. This initiative offers replicable models for comprehensive social welfare interventions addressing inequality in Malaysia's diverse society.
Downloads
References
Abdul Rahman, N. H., & Othman, N. (2018). Urbanization and poverty in peri-urban areas: Evidence from Selangor, Malaysia. Journal of Urban Management, 7(3), 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2018.05.003
Banerjee, A. V., & Duflo, E. (2011). Poor economics: A radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty. PublicAffairs.
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2020). Household income and basic amenities survey report 2019. Department of Statistics Malaysia.
Embong, A. R. (2013). Malaysia's middle class: Formation, identity and politics. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Israel, B. A., Schulz, A. J., Parker, E. A., & Becker, A. B. (2005). Review of community-based research: Assessing partnership approaches to improve public health. Annual Review of Public Health, 19, 173-202. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.19.1.173
Marmot, M. (2005). Social determinants of health inequalities. The Lancet, 365(9464), 1099-1104. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71146-6
Mathie, A., & Cunningham, G. (2003). From clients to citizens: Asset-based community development as a strategy for community-driven development. Development in Practice, 13(5), 474-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452032000125857
Narayan, D. (1999). Bonds and bridges: Social capital and poverty. World Bank.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918-924. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5328.918
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.
White, S. C., & Phillips, D. (2012). Measuring subjective wellbeing for public policy. Journal of Development Studies, 48(11), 1663-1678. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2012.682035
Yunus, M. (2007). Creating a world without poverty: Social business and the future of capitalism. PublicAffairs.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ahmad Faizal Ibrahim, Lim Mei Ling , Rajeswari Suppiah, Nurul Izzah Hassan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
