Hidayatullah isn't just a school for orphans<\/p>\n
BALIKPAPAN, East Kalimantan (JP): Hundreds of orphans live and
\nlearn at the Hidayatullah boarding school in Gunung Tembak,
\nKalimantan for free.<\/p>\n
This separates this boarding school from the other 6,000 in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"There are heaps of neglected orphans and school drop-outs
\nhere,\" explained Abdullah Said, the headmaster and founder of
\nHidayatullah, \"The government already has its hands full with
\nmany other problems, this falls into the realm of community
\nresponsibility.\"<\/p>\n
Meeting the daily needs and the other problems of thousands of
\nstudents and teachers at 75 branches of the school throughout the
\ncountry is not easy.<\/p>\n
At the Gunung Tembak school alone, the 2,000 students consume
\nabout one ton of rice every two days.<\/p>\n
Hasan Ibrahim, the school's manager, appears calm and
\nconfident. \"Whoever helps Allah will get Allah's help,\" he quoted
\na Koranic verse.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the locals usually help the school out,
\nbecause they appreciate that it accepts and educates orphans and
\nneglected children.<\/p>\n
\"Unless these children are well taken care of, they may become
\na problem for the community,\" Hasan told The Jakarta Post. \"Here,
\nthey are trained to be self-reliant, independent and to become
\npioneers in society.\"<\/p>\n
\"Many a great man was an orphan,\" he assured.<\/p>\n
Realizing that they couldn't always rely on people's sympathy,
\nthe boarding school's managers began to establish various
\nbusiness units to support the institutions.<\/p>\n
In Balikpapan alone, the school has two general trade and
\ncontractor businesses. \"When we started, we suffered one
\nfinancial loss after another,\" Adi Dharma Yudi, a former student
\nwho manages the companies, said. \"But we learned from our
\nmistakes.\"<\/p>\n
The companies have now been doing business with some foreign
\noil companies in the area, including Vico, Unocal and Total
\nIndonesie.<\/p>\n
In Tarakan, an island in the north of East Kalimantan, a
\nbranch of the Hidayatullah school has a 7-hectare fishpond, and a
\nplantation of salak (Zalacca fruits).<\/p>\n
The Surabaya-branch of Hidayatullah is considered to be the
\nmost advanced in business establishment. It has printing shops, a
\npublishing house, an expedition service, a door-to-door marketing
\nservice and an advertising, graphic design and architecture
\nconsultant firm. A great number of former students are also
\nstudying at leading universities in the city.<\/p>\n
The Surabaya-branch also publishes the Suara Hidayatullah
\nmonthly magazine which specializes in analysis on Islamic
\ndevelopment both local and worldwide. Its circulation is now
\n65,000.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta-branch of the school has established a bakery and
\na halal fried chicken restaurant. It also established a haj
\noperation last year which cooperates with Al-Hussam, a well-known
\npilgrimage arranger.<\/p>\n
According to Abdullah Said, a common feature of the businesses
\nis \"to support the dakwah (Islamic calling) movement, and to call
\non the community to shoulder the great responsibility\". (Wisnu
\nPramudya)<\/p>\n
-- Wisnu Pramudya<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hidayatullah-isnt-just-a-school-for-orphans-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }