Children in Malaysia make up a third of the population, but the proportion of children in poverty is higher than the proportion of working age adults or elderly (shown in the last three household surveys since 2009).

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Malaysia has made significant strides in reducing child poverty, eradicating diseases, protecting children from harm and bringing more children to school, both for girls and boys. But not for every child...there are still some children left behind who are the most vulnerable and hardest to reach.

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In Malaysia the social protection services do not reach all children in need, and is not inclusive of all ethnic and religious groups of children. The biggest underlying factor for child abuse and neglect is poverty arising from food poverty, insecure housing, and unemployment in families which lead to helplessness, mental health deterioration in adult family members, substance abuse, and/or resulting in violence in the home.

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Due to lack of government facilities, the State often brings children to voluntary homes like the Lighthouse, but without providing the core costs. There are still a lot of children who are left behind and whose only option is foster care and adoption. 

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