{"id":739,"date":"2025-05-17T00:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T16:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thr2024.yayasanhasanah.org\/education\/abbernaa-from-classical-dance-to-policy-research-2\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T18:29:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T10:29:26","slug":"mental-health-warriors-of-ppr-batu-muda","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thr2024.yayasanhasanah.org\/ms\/community-development\/mental-health-warriors-of-ppr-batu-muda\/","title":{"rendered":"Wira Kesihatan Mental di PPR Batu Muda"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Mental Health Warriors of PPR Batu Muda <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Depression affects nearly one million people in Malaysia, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023. Of those, half have experienced thoughts of self-harm or suicidal tendencies. Among children, the situation is as alarming \u2014 one in six face mental health challenges, a figure that has doubled since 2019.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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These numbers represent real people: the neighbour who smiles at you in the lift, the child on a swing at the playground and the uncle who runs the kedai runcit down the road.<\/p>

Their struggles may be invisible, but they are no less real.<\/p>

Also buried within these statistics is a harder truth: for many, the fear of being judged makes silence feel like the safer choice. Stigma becomes a concrete wall between quiet suffering and the support they deserve.<\/p>

To understand how far we have come \u2014 and how much further we still need to go \u2014 it is worth looking back.<\/p>

Malaysia\u2019s formal mental health system began over a century ago with Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta \u2014 better known as Tanjong Rambutan \u2014 in 1911. As the country\u2019s pioneer psychiatric institution, it played a central role for decades. Over time, its name became a slang to describe someone as mentally unwell. Though often said in jest, it represents the lingering discomfort surrounding mental health in Malaysian society.<\/p>

The 1980s and 90s saw a move towards deinstitutionalisation, introduction of psychiatry units in public hospitals and a growing awareness that mental health should be part of primary care.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Where Change Begins<\/h4>

At Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) Batu Muda, a public housing complex located in Kuala Lumpur, change is taking root \u2014 quietly, but powerfully. A group of women are dismantling long-held misconceptions, chipping away at fear and shame through steady acts of courage and care.<\/p>

Their partner on this mission is Thrive Well, a social enterprise bringing sustainable psychological care services to marginalised and underserved<\/span><\/span> communities, in particular. One example is its Program K.A.M.I (Keluarga Akrab Mencapai Impian) initiative that strengthens familial bonds through parental coaching and other activities with B40 communities.<\/p>

Program Harmoni was introduced here during the COVID-19 outbreak, when emotional resilience was stretched thin. Aware of the hesitation toward the subject, Thrive Well \u2014 in partnership with Women of Will \u2014 designed a gentle entry point: pairing mental health support with nutrition workshops. This two-pronged approach helped participants open up to conversations generally avoided, says Teoh Rhu Yie, Thrive Well\u2019s community development lead and a clinical psychologist.<\/p>

This holistic view underpins the Hasanah Special Grant through which this programme is supported alongside the Ministry of Finance. \u201cWorking with MoF, poverty is tackled through a multi-dimensional lens that focuses not only on income generation, but also wellbeing. Utilising the community-based approach, it involves multiple partners, and diverse interventions, all anchored by grassroots empowerment,\u201d Grant Manager for Community Development at Yayasan Hasanah, Koh Xiu Heng explains.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tWorking with MoF, poverty is tackled through a multi-dimensional lens that focuses not only on income generation, but also wellbeing. Utilising the community-based approach, it involves multiple partners, and diverse interventions, all anchored by grassroots empowerment.\u201d\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKoh Xiu Heng, Grant Manager for Community Development at Hasanah<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Turning Struggle into Support <\/strong><\/p>

Nurulhazren is one of the key change-makers in this quiet revolution led with dialogue, empathy and understanding. To Kak Reen, as she is fondly called, this endeavour is not only meaningful but deeply personal.<\/p>

When health and financial problems faced during the pandemic led her to being hospitalised, Program Harmoni was a turning point in her life. She learned stress management, regulating emotions, effective communication and locus of control, all of which helped her regain physical and mental health.<\/p>

\u201cMy relationship with my children has gotten closer.I was inspired to start my home-based kuih-making business to increase income,\u201d says the mother of 4 about the changes she experienced. Her biggest win is no longer depending on medication to treat anxiety.<\/p>

\u201cI want to share these life-changing tools with the people around me so that they too can benefit as I have,\u201d says Kak Reen who is determined to bring more awareness and support to others in PPR Batu Muda.<\/p>

Ambassadors-in-training learn psychological first aid, and attentive listening without judgment, among other aspects. They also undertake hours of peer consultation and must pass a strict evaluation.<\/p>

Even after that, building trust of clients takes time and not many were ready to speak openly at first \u2014 but Kak Reen sees this changing. The 4 ambassadors in PPR Batu Muda account for 82 hours of peer support consultation thus far. These conversations can take place anywhere in the housing complex \u2014 laid-back, accessible and welcoming.<\/p>

Speaking on the common issues faced by her clients, she is careful to respect confidentiality and shares a general list: marital, health and financial problems, dealing with adolescent children, and neighbourhood disputes.<\/p>

She believes negative terminology such as \u201corang gila\u201d \u2014 a harmful term she admits to once using herself \u2014 can also be eradicated to make room for healthy discourse and understanding.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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