PACITAN, EAST JAVA — Dompet Dhuafa together with PT. Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk. (BDI) traveled to the interior of Pacitan, specifically to Ngasem Hamlet, Gembong Village, Arjosari District. To get there on Thursday (11/8/2022), it was recommended to use a 4WD Jeep fleet. This is because Ngasem Hamlet is located in a hilly area with steep access, and the road becomes even more slippery and steep when it rains.
However, this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Dompet Dhuafa and BDI teams to visit Ngasem Hamlet. Upon arriving at the location, the villagers gave them a warm and friendly welcome. The sounds of Javanese music accompanied by salawat nabi (prayers for the prophet) set the mood for the inauguration of the waqf well for the Water for Life program that morning.
Through its East Java branch, Dompet Dhuafa presented a waqf well in Ngasem Hamlet with 80 families living there, on behalf of KolaborAksi with Bank Danamon Indonesia. The second phase of the waqf well program was inaugurated, after all the well points were completed at five locations spread across North Sumatra, Central Java, and East Java.
“Transporting drilling machine materials and equipment to Ngasem Hamlet is not an easy thing. However, praise be to God, thanks to the wonderful cooperation of the residents, Ngasem Hamlet now has a clean water source that can be used for daily life. We, Dompet Dhuafa, only bridge and facilitate the kindness of Bank Danamon Indonesia donors,” said Kholid Abdillah, Branch Manager of Dompet Dhuafa East Java, in his speech.
“With the long process of building the well since the start of the survey in November 2021, we can learn many lessons. Challenging terrain, digging wells in rocky hill areas, and rain to landslides in water catchment areas. Praise be to God, until May 2022, it has borne sweet fruit. We just hope that we can take care of this Water for Life together and benefit others,” added Kholid.
One of the residents of Ngasem Hamlet, Mr. Surya, told the story of the daily life of the residents before the waqf well was present in his hamlet. Usually, residents use river water and rainwater collection. As for consumption, the hamlet residents have to walk about 2 (two) kilometers to buy water and carry it themselves to their homes.
“Yes, thank God, now we don’t have to buy it. We can get water close to our homes and for our needs. I can’t say anything other than thank you and thank you,” said Mr. Surya.
In his remarks, Abdul Hadi, as Sustainability Finance of PT. Bank Danamon Indonesia, also revealed that his party was very happy to be able to synergize with Dompet Dhuafa in the waqf well program.
“Until our trip to Ngasem Hamlet, honestly, we felt many surprises. Starting from the access, the friendliness of the welcome from the residents, the salawat music, even the extraordinary work of the Dompet Dhuafa team and the residents here. We realize that welfare is difficult to achieve without access to clean water and proper sanitation. So we hope and believe that this program can improve the quality of life of the community through access to clean water,” he concluded.
The launching of the program was marked by the ribbon cutting ceremony with the iconic figure of Dompet Dhuafa, Bang Sidik. Also present there were the Head of Gembong Village, the Head of Ngasem Hamlet, the Senior Officer of Waqf Development Empowerment at Dompet Dhuafa, and residents of Gembong Village. (Dompet Dhuafa / Dhika Prabowo)