Zakat Village Program to Eradicate Poverty in Remote Regions

Jakarta, MINA – Director of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment at the Ministry of Religion, Tarmizi, emphasized that the Zakat Village program is an effort to eradicate poverty based on frontier, remote, and underdeveloped areas through optimizing zakat funds that have been collected by Muslims.

Tarmizi said that the main purpose of collecting zakat carried out by Muslims is not only to help the basic needs of the poor. But to improve the wheels of the economy in order to achieve a prosperous standard of living.

“The main goal of this program is how their economy is better, their religious moderation is also good, that’s what we continue to do through coaching in a number of these zakat villages,” said Tarmizi in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted from Republika.

Tarmizi admitted, several local governments appreciate the Zakat Village program initiated by the Ministry of Religion. This is because seeing the progress of the Zakat Village which is growing at this time.

“For example, the Regent of Sambas requested that this program not only exist in one village, but throughout the Sambas Regency. The South Bangka Regional Government also wants to launch a Zakat Awareness Village,” said Tarmizi.

The Zakat Village Program has been launched by the Ministry of Religion since 2018. Currently, Zakat Village has spread across 15 3T areas in collaboration with the Amil Zakat Institution (LAZ) and BAZNAS at the Regency/City level. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)