JAKARTA -— Dompet Dhuafa has once again made a national achievement by winning second place in the Community Empowerment NGO category at the Mandaya Awards 2025. The award was presented directly by the Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment of the Republic of Indonesia, Muhaimin Iskandar, to Ahmad Juwaini, Chairman of Dompet Dhuafa, at the awarding ceremony held at the Ballroom Plaza BP Jamsostek, South Jakarta, on Thursday (10/16/2025).
In his speech, Ahmad Juwaini expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the award.
“Alhamdulillah, today Dompet Dhuafa has received an award for community empowerment, which was presented directly by the Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Mr. Muhaimin Iskandar,” said Ahmad Juwaini.
“This is a form of appreciation that Dompet Dhuafa’s empowerment programs have real benefits and impacts on Indonesian society. We would like to express our gratitude to the donors, beneficiaries, and partners who have supported Dompet Dhuafa in carrying out its mandate and creating positive change in society,” he added.
The Mandaya Awards 2025 are a form of national appreciation for organizations, institutions, and individuals who are considered to have made a real contribution to strengthening community capacity and developing a sustainable empowerment ecosystem. This event promotes the spirit of cross-sector collaboration—between the government, private sector, academia, and civil society—to build social and economic independence in various regions of Indonesia.
During the award ceremony, the main screen in the BP Jamsostek Plaza Ballroom displayed the Kawasan Madaya Program, Dompet Dhuafa’s flagship cross-pillar program that formed the basis for the award assessment. This program brings together various service sectors, such as health, education, disaster management, and economic empowerment, to integrated community-based regional development.
In his speech, Muhaimin Iskandar emphasized that the Mandaya Awards are a symbol of a paradigm shift in national development.
“Mandaya is a form of state recognition of the contributions made by all the figures present today. Mandaya is a symbol of a paradigm shift—from aid to empowerment, from programs to movements, from ideas to real impact,” said Muhaimin.
He added that the success of community empowerment is not measured by the amount of assistance, but by the increased independence and dignity of the community itself.
“Empowerment is the sustainable potential of the community for efforts to realize national development that brings about general welfare. The measure of the success of empowerment is the improvement in the quality of life of the community to become empowered, independent, and dignified,” he said.
The Mandaya Awards 2025 grand finale was attended by ministers, various local government representatives, strategic partners, business actors, and grassroots communities. This momentum serves as a reminder that sustainable development must be rooted in community strength and mutual cooperation.
With this award, Dompet Dhuafa reaffirms its commitment to continue strengthening community-based empowerment programs, from villages to urban areas, in order to bring about real, empowering change.
One concrete example of the impact of the Madaya Area can be seen in Dompet Dhuafa’s activities that empower local farmers, such as the coffee business in Sinjai. Through the Madaya Area, local actors are given the opportunity to directly engage in agricultural businesses, receive technical assistance, market access, and business coaching based on local wisdom. This program symbolizes how the Madaya Area promotes empowerment from the grassroots level—not just providing assistance, but building the capacity of farmers to become economically independent and produce competitive products. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Dhika
Editor: Dedi Fadlil