BANDUNG, WEST JAVA — “Empowered in Tani Village” became the title of the Capacity Building activity for Dompet Dhuafa’s Zakat Management Partners (MPZ) which took place in Tani Village, Cilengkrang, Bandung. This activity took place for two days, starting from Thursday, October 31 to Friday, November 1, 2024.
A total of 40 participants from 14 Dompet Dhuafa Central MPZs, as well as 20 MPZs from Banten and West Java branches participated in this activity. This Capacity Building aims to increase the capacity of MPZ in designing and running economic empowerment programs, especially in the field of horticultural agriculture.
This activity is one of a series of monthly MPZ meeting agendas. They are invited to observe more deeply how the implementation of productive zakat programs managed by Dompet Dhuafa can really have an impact on the beneficiaries. So that in the future, it is hoped that each MPZ can apply the concepts and principles of Dompet Dhuafa’s empowerment in their respective environments.
The Desa Tani program located in Cipanjalu, Cilengkrang, Bandung, has proven that zakat management can have a very significant impact in improving the welfare of the community. Through an integrated horticultural farming approach, this program not only increases farmers’ productivity, but also opens new business opportunities and creates jobs. Desa Tani’s success in winning the SDGs Action Award 2023 further strengthens this program as the best model in the implementation of productive zakat.
“We provide opportunities for these MPZ institutions to conduct ATM (observe, imitate, and modify) so that what Dompet Dhuafa does can be replicated by the program. Because it is our great hope that these MPZs can apply the concepts and principles of Dompet Dhuafa’s empowerment in their respective environments,” said Bobby P. Manullang as GM Dompet Dhuafa Branch & MPZ.
Read also: Narrating the Experience of Three Visits to Gaza, Bambang Suherman: Wonderful!
The participants were invited to take part in various activities, ranging from the delivery of material, discussions, to direct visits to the location of the Farming Village. In addition, Dompet Dhuafa also introduces aspects that support the implementation of existing programs at Dompet Dhuafa, one of which is the role of Key Opinion Leader (KOL). The participants also gained an understanding of effective social media management from Aiman Ricky, a celebrity who is also one of the carriers of Dompet Dhuafa’s good messages.
In addition to Bobby and Aiman, other speakers who attended this agenda were Dian Mulyadi as Deputy Director of Corporate Secretary, Udhi Tri Kurniawan as Deputy Director I of the Dompet Dhuafa Empowerment Program, Sulis Tiqomah as Head of the Dompet Dhuafa MPZ Department, and Ade Rukmana as a Farmer Village Program Facilitator.
“Existing programs that currently exist in your environment, if you want to scale-up, develop or expand, or maybe replicate in other places, please submit them to Dompet Dhuafa. Later we can discuss in more detail how to do it and the steps. Basically, we want the programs that exist in Dompet Dhuafa to also be present in your institution, “said Udhi on the sidelines he delivered material on ‘Designing a Sustainable Economic Empowerment Program’.
Read also: Dompet Dhuafa wins Indonesia’s SDGs Action Awards 2024
This Capacity Building activity has also succeeded in opening the eyes of MPZs to the great potential of productive zakat management. One of them is Adi Hidayatullah, a representative of MPZ Sehati Gerak Bersama. He expressed his admiration for the Desa Tani program.
“Previously, we focused more on direct aid distribution. However, through this program, we realized that ZIS (Zakat, Infaq, Sadaqah) funds can be used to empower the community in the long term,” said Adi.
He continued that the concept of economic empowerment applied in Desa Tani is very relevant to the conditions of the people in Sukabumi, West Java. Therefore, he and his team will plan to adapt this model and develop similar programs in the region. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: Riza Muthohar
Editor: Dhika