JAKARTA — On Tuesday (5/3/2024), Dompet Dhuafa held a press conference at Twins House, Blok M, South Jakarta regarding its Ramadan 1445 H programme. In this programme entitled #RamadanMendekatkan, Dompet Dhuafa collaborates with many parties, one of which is the public figure, Ricky Harun.
Chairman of the Dompet Dhuafa Ramadan 1445 H Committee, Rina Fatimah, explained that the regular programme is based on the five pillars of Dompet Dhuafa, namely Education, Health, Social, Economic, and Da’wah and Culture. Rina targets one million beneficiaries during Ramadan 1445 H, both at home and abroad.
In the education pillar, there is a Braille Qur’an Alms programme as well as da’wah training. In addition, Dompet Dhuafa also provides a Free Homecoming programme for 150 dhuafa in Java Island with land transportation in the form of buses. As well as preparing seven points of family-friendly posts, including Cirebon, Nagreg, Merak to Bakauheni port crossings, and crossing routes from Bali to Java.
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“Technical information on these programmes will follow, especially regarding free homecoming. It is possible that registration will be opened. Then, the peak will be the iftar programme with 1,500 orphans and disabilities on 24 March,” explained Rina.
Not to forget, Rina also reminded the public to download the Dompet Dhuafa application or DD Apps. Because, there are many features that make it easier for people to do good. These include alms payment, zakat calculation, and donations for our brothers and sisters in Palestine.
Chairman of the Board of Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation (YDDR), Ahmad Juwaini said, in the holy month of Ramadan there is an important practice besides fasting, namely giving zakat. Therefore, his party will provide the best service for the community through Ramadan programmes, especially related to the payment and collection of zakat, infaq and waqf.
“During the year, 30-40% of the largest zakat collection in Dompet Dhuafa is in the month of Ramadan. This proves that people have a high awareness to give zakat. Hopefully this will be a moment to bring us closer as children of the nation, hopefully the community will be more harmonious,” said Juwaini.
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Waryono Abdul Ghafur, Directorate of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, said that the level of awareness of zakat in Indonesia is getting higher, especially mal zakat. He received a report from the National Board of Zakat (Baznas) that in a year the institution collected IDR 31 trillion in zakat funds.
As a regulator of zakat empowerment in Indonesia, Waryono advises people to give zakat to an institution such as Dompet Dhuafa, not through individuals. The reason is so that supervision on the utilisation of zakat can be done regularly.
One of the beneficiaries of Dompet Dhuafa’s kindness programme, Endah Iswati (33) admitted that she was greatly helped by the benefits of zakat from Dompet Dhuafa. Last year, her child named Azura (3) was diagnosed with stunting. She found out about this since her meeting with Dompet Dhuafa’s Free Health Services (LKC) during counselling for pregnant women at the posyandu. At first she could not afford milk and nutritious food for her child, but now she receives assistance from Dompet Dhuafa every month. Also, assistance in the form of nutritious food and vitamins.
“I was once in a situation where I couldn’t afford milk. My child was crying, but I couldn’t do anything. After receiving counselling and direct assistance from Dompet Dhuafa, thank God my child’s weight continues to increase until now,” said Endah.
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More deeply about the benefits of zakat and waqf, Senior Researcher from the Institute for Demographic and Poverty Studies (IDEAS), Yusuf Wibisono explained that several fields on a national scale will get a positive impact from the benefits of zakat. One of them is food security.
The declining production capacity of staple food makes people have to face rising food prices. This is caused by land conversion from agriculture to non-agriculture. Wibisono encourages zakat institutions, especially Dompet Dhuafa, to actively help the community’s food security, especially for the poor. This can take the form of a waqf and zakat-based food estate. In addition to benefiting the wider community, farmers will not lose their jobs.
Meanwhile, the public figure, represented by Ricky Harun, invited the public as well as other public figures to set aside some of their wealth for zakat. He said he was happy to collaborate in kindness with Dompet Dhuafa in the holy month of Ramadan this time. In the future, he will be present in the socialisation of Dompet Dhuafa’s Ramadan programmes, one of which is at Smart Ekselensia School in Parung, Bogor on Thursday (7/3/2024).
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In addition to the #RamadanMendekatkan press conference, Dompet Dhuafa also symbolised the release of Dai Ambassadors to 16 countries. Some of them are countries that have not received massive Islamic teachings, such as the Southern Philippines, Timor Leste, and Suriname. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text & Photo: Hany Fatihah Ahmad
Editor: Dhika Prabowo