BOGOR —-— On Thursday (March 12, 2026), Dompet Dhuafa, through the Community Service Agency (LPM), held the LPM Ramadan Celebration titled “Ramadan with Friends with Mental Disabilities.” The event, which took place at the Grand Mosque of Bogor City, was attended by 120 participants.
The LPM Ramadan Celebration was a lively event featuring various performances by participants in each competition. These ranged from azan and iqamah contests, recitation of short surahs from the Quran, short religious talks, quizzes, to the recitation of daily prayers.
The participants were individuals with mental disabilities under the care of 12 LPM partner foundations. This event also served as an opportunity to foster camaraderie among friends with mental disabilities from various foundations.
Irene Dwi Wahyu, a caregiver from Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital, stated that this event is highly meaningful for individuals with mental disabilities as a form of therapy.
“Of course, this event is very meaningful, because behind it lies a therapeutic purpose for patients with mental disabilities. Competitions like this can boost patients’ self-confidence, increase their motivation, and improve their communication and social skills. They also become better educated about Ramadan and fasting,” she said enthusiastically.
Irene also said that the participants were very enthusiastic about taking part in the event. Although most of them were fasting—since their recovery had reached 80 percent—their enthusiasm remained undimmed until the event concluded.
“Alhamdulillah, almost all of the patients I’m assisting are fasting, since their relapse symptoms are minimal, but they’re very enthusiastic. They were ready early in the morning and seemed to be having a great time,” she added.
Meanwhile, Tubagus Iim Nurrohim, Head of the LPM’s Underprivileged Community Development Program, stated that this event served as a positive opportunity to invite friends with mental disabilities to join in celebrating Ramadan through meaningful activities.
“In this activity, we invite our friends with mental disabilities to showcase their talents during Ramadan. Through this activity, we also want to show the general public that people with mental disabilities are capable of doing the same activities as everyone else,” he said.
The event concluded with the announcement of the contest winners and the presentation of prizes. Iim hopes that through this event, the general public will be further encouraged to dispel negative stigmas surrounding mental disabilities and boost the self-confidence of those affected. This will help ensure their acceptance in society. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Shinta FN, ID Humanity
Editor: Dhika