Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has been selected as the location for Malaysia’s first Rumah Ibu (Mother Home) Care Centre, which officially opened at Taman Kingfisher Sulaman.
The centre can house up to seven mothers aged between 18 and 35, each with one or two children, said Mother’s Home International Project Manager, Raikhan Berekenova.
“We’re going to see how it works here, and then we might adapt. We don’t really know the local cultural context yet,” she said.
The centre was launched by the Ministry of Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Permanent Secretary, Datuk Maria Chong.
Raikhan said the programme is based on proven methods from other countries but will be adapted locally if needed.
“We hope this will be the start of many more centres in Malaysia, with support from partners and donors,” she added.
The Mother’s Home Foundation, which supports the initiative, was established in 2023 by prominent Kazakh businessman and philanthropist Aidyn Rakhimbayev, and is fully backed by Kazakhstan.
“If we get more local partners, including businesses, to help us give hope to these mothers, we are open to collaboration. We are transparent, we provide reports, and audits are conducted by KPMG,” Raikhan said.
She also understands the local situation , where they are many underage mothers who are victims of domestic abuse, poverty and social stigma.
The centre equips mothers with practical skills such as sewing, baking, cooking, and manicure work to help them gain independence.
They can stay for up to six months, with extensions considered on a case-by-case basis.
“The first month is onboarding, followed by four months of training, counselling, and medical support. In the final month, we prepare them for independent living, such as attending job interviews or registering small businesses,” Raikhan said.
The Mother’s Home International Foundation (MHIF) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting mothers in crisis, preventing child abandonment, and preserving family unity.
Baby abandonment remains a challenge in Malaysia, with 75 cases reported between January and September 2024, compared with 96 cases in the same period in 2023, according to police statistics.
Since its launch in Kazakhstan in 2013, the Mother’s Home initiative has grown into a network of 20 centres across 18 cities, helping over 10,000 infants remain with their families and preventing thousands from entering orphanages.
Similar centres have been established in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with Turkey scheduled to open its first in 2025.
In Malaysia, MHIF aims to assist more than 100 women and children annually, with plans to expand into other states in the future.
