The economic impact of the pandemic has pushed more people into lower-income groups, amid an increase in Malaysia’s poverty rate. Several cycles and variations of the MCO have left the B40 communities particularly hard hit, due to job losses, low social protection and lack of safety nets. While there have been urgent calls for financial assistance for the B40, their mental and emotional needs have received less attention. We find out how the Jom Sembang programme by SOLS Health-Thrive Well (supported by Yayasan Hasanah) provided mental health support for the B40. We also explore what are the challenges of providing mental health care for these underserved communities.

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