HULU SELANGOR: Starting Aug 17, working mothers in Selangor can check their eligibility for a RM1,000 cash aid offered by the state government through the MamaKerja 2.0 initiative.
Selangor women empowerment and welfare committee chairman Anfaal Saari said eligibility can be checked via https://nineapp.com.my/mamakerja and applications can be made through the NINE app.
"Eligible applicants must be working women who vote in Selangor, possess valid salary slips or income statements and not be recipients of aid under the MamaKerja 1.0, Asuh Pintar, Tunas or BINGKAS initiatives.
"Priority will be given to mothers whose children are sent to registered kindergartens and taskas or caretakers who have participated in the Caretaking Basic Course or the Iltizam Penjagaan & Pendidikan Awal Kanak-Kanak programme.
"The RM1,000 aid will be distributed to recipients' e-wallets in two phases, with RM500 in each phase, within 90 days from the approval date," she said during MamaKerja 2.0's launching ceremony at Bukit Beruntung Golf and Country Resort here on Aug 15.
She also said the initiative aims to alleviate childcare costs, thus supporting working mothers to remain in the workforce.
Outlining the differences between MamaKerja 2.0 and MamaKerja 1.0, which was launched at the end of 2023 and benefitted about 4,500 women, Anfaal said MamaKerja 2.0 loosens its eligibility criteria by allowing those with at least one child aged six or below to apply.
"MamaKerja 1.0 stipulated that applicants must have three children aged 12 or below.
"Besides, MamaKerja 2.0 also addresses the hardships of the M40 group by allowing those with a monthly household income of RM8,000 or below to apply.
"The demand for the aid has always been high, but its conditions probably drove away some who deserved it. Hence, I hope that more eligible people will apply for the aid under MamaKerja 2.0, now that we have loosened the conditions," she said, adding that MamaKerja 2.0 targets to benefit 10,000 women.
She further stated that the initiative received a RM10.6mil allocation from the state government through its 2026 budget (RM5.6mil) and the Selangor Resilience Package 2026 (RM5mil).
"The initiative will be fully implemented by Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS), a state organisation aimed at empowering women through comprehensive implementation of the Selangor Women Policy," she added.
The launching ceremony was held during the Jelajah Wanita Berdaya Tahan Selangor 2026 Zon Hulu Selangor event, which has reached its third edition this year.
Also present were Selangor human resources and poverty eradication committee chairman V. Papparaidu, WBS chief executive officer Siti Faridah Abdul Samad, United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) deputy representative Sanja Saranovic and Kuala Kubu Bharu assemblyman Pang Sock Tao.
Siti Faridah and Saranovic exchanged a memorandum of understanding to mark the beginning of the collaboration between WBS and Unicef in implementing MamaKerja 2.0, where Unicef will help monitor and evaluate the initiative's impact.
Anfaal said part of the collaboration will see Unicef helping develop the MamaKerja+ framework, which is expected to be rolled out in 2027.
"The framework is now in its early development stage.
"It will empower women in terms of parenting, children's development and family strengthening.
"We will survey the MamaKerja 2.0 recipients to study the aid's impact and help us develop the framework," she said.
Held alongside Jelajah Wanita Berdaya Tahan Selangor 2026 Zon Hulu Selangor was the JobCare Selangor job carnival. Visitors also enjoyed free health screenings under the Selangor Saring programme and government services via mobile counters.
