BANTUL, YOGYAKARTA —— In addition to owning the DD Farm livestock center, Dompet Dhuafa has also established livestock villages in several areas in an effort to improve the welfare of farmers. One of these villages is located in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta. The center is located in Gedong Hamlet, Panjangrejo Village, Pundong District, Bantul Regency.
In November 2017, Dompet Dhuafa provided 62 breeding ewes to 31 farmers in Panjangrejo Village. These farmers also became a livestock breeding group. In addition to donating breeding stock, Dompet Dhuafa also provided other interventions in the form of capacity building for its human resources. To ensure the smooth running of this effort, Dompet Dhuafa collaborated with relevant agencies to conduct technical training, outreach, and other programs.
Unlike DD Farm, village livestock pens are not communal but individual. This means that each farmer has their own pen. Even so, Dompet Dhuafa still provides public pens for shared use. However, this is not mandatory.
From these dozens of breeding ewes, hundreds of lambs are born, which are then collected to become new breeding ewes. And so on and so forth. The head of the Pudong Livestock Village group under Dompet Dhuafa, Syamsul Zahri (50), said that the group members feel greatly helped by the presence of Dompet Dhuafa in their village.
“If recorded, there may have been hundreds of lambs born from the 62 breeding ewes,” he said when visited by the Dompet Dhuafa team on Saturday (June 11, 2022).
In addition to Syamsul, all 30 other members of Kampung Ternak are now independent with their own pens. Even so, Dompet Dhuafa continues to monitor and guide the farmers there. Especially during the period leading up to Eid al-Adha, the maintenance and fattening of goats and sheep must be done more thoroughly. This is to prepare the livestock for the qurbani ritual.
“Alhamdulillah, we are still united and continue to live in harmony. We consider Dompet Dhuafa as part of our family here,” said Syamsul.
Although Panjangrejo Village is not the main focus for the distribution of sacrificial animals this year, Pak Syamsul and his colleagues are still happy. Thanks to Dompet Dhuafa, the people of Panjangrejo and its surroundings are becoming more aware of the importance of sacrifice.
To maximize benefits, the 2022 Qurbani Animal Distribution (THK) in the Yogyakarta region will focus more on meat-deficient areas in Gunungkidul. The Gunungkidul Livestock Village is currently intensively fattening goats, sheep, and cattle in preparation for the THK on the 10th of Dzulhijjah 1443. (Dompet Dhuafa / Muthohar)