LocationsReimagining Care, One Community at a Time
Piloting Malaysia's First Care Block
October 29, 2026
Reimagining Community Care in Malaysia
UNDP Malaysia
By AINA SYAZWANI SALLEH
Gender and Safeguards Lead, UNDP Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei Darussalam
IMAGINE a neighbourhood where care and support are close to home, guided by the spirit of it takes a village. This vision took shape at the Care Block Pop-Up Day in Selangor, organised by UNDP Malaysia as part of its collaboration with Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) to pilot Malaysia’s first Care Block.
At its core, a Care Block is a one-stop community hub that brings together care services for older persons, children and persons with disabilities. It also puts caregivers, not just care recipients, at the heart of its design, recognising that time poverty often leaves little room for their own needs and well-being.
Guided by this approach, UNDP Malaysia brought residents together for a lively day of health and care activities, placing caregivers and intergenerational care at the centre of conversations on how services should be designed and accessed. Beyond experiencing what community-based care could look like, residents shared their challenges, identified priority services and contributed ideas to shape the initiative.
This participatory approach is central to the Care Block model, as each Care Block is designed around the unique needs of its community. For example, In Bogotá, Colombia, where the concept originated, some Care Blocks even offer communal laundry facilities, reflecting the everyday needs of residents and helping to reduce the friction of unpaid care and domestic work.
More than just a day of activities, the event marked an important step towards building a care system shaped not just for the community, but with the community.
Bringing care closer to home
Care is crucial to functioning of individuals and society. From raising young children to supporting ageing parents and family members with disabilities, it is what enables families, communities and economies to thrive. Yet, for many, accessing care and support remains a challenge. Services can be fragmented, difficult to access or unaffordable, leaving caregivers to navigate multiple responsibilities with limited support.
UNDP’s research has consistently shown that when care systems fall short, women often step in to fill the gaps. Often, they carry this burden at the expense of their own well-being and economic opportunities.
But what if we could reimagine care, not as a responsibility borne silently by families alone, but as one shared by the wider community?
Drawing on international experiences and adapting them to Malaysia’s local context, the Care Block aims to bring care services closer to communities while recognising that those who care for others also need care and support.
A day to experience care differently
The Care Block Pop-Up Day brought the community together through interactive activities, placing caregivers and intergenerational care at the heart of the experience. Older residents took part in mobility and fall-risk assessments to promote preventive care and healthy ageing. Children learned through sensory play, while caregivers enjoyed wellness and much-deserved respite activities. Caregivers indulged in wellness activities while accessing mental health support.
Together, these activities offered a glimpse of how different care needs could be met within one community space, making support more accessible, connected and inclusive.
Building Malaysia’s first Care Block, together
Led by UNDP Malaysia and WBS, the Care Block initiative supports Selangor’s ambition to turn care policies into practical solutions for families. It builds on Malaysia’s Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2026–2030 and the Selangor Care Economy Policy 2024–2030.
Insights gathered during the Pop-Up Day will help shape the pilot’s services, accessibility and integration with existing community resources while ensuring that the design is grounded in residents’ lived realities.
Reimagining a community that cares
As Malaysia prepares for an ageing society, investing in care is essential to building healthier communities, supporting women’s economic participation and creating a kinder, more resilient future.
Care Block Pop-Up Day offered a hopeful glimpse of what that future could look like, where those who look after others are equally supported.
After all, it takes a village to care.
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