Baznas RI cleans 5,000 mosque air-conditioning units during Ramadan 1447 AH

We extend our heartfelt thanks and extraordinary appreciation to the entire Amaliah Astra Foundation family. This collaboration demonstrates that the spirit of mutual cooperation between Islamic philanthropic institutions and corporate partners can have a broad impact, both spiritually for worshippers and economically for the trained technicians, said Saidah Sakwan, Head of Baznas RI’s Distribution and Utilisation Division, in a Jakarta statement on Saturday.

Horizontally, the programme aims to raise the dignity of mustahik by helping them become independent air-conditioning technician entrepreneurs who can progress to become muzaki. Vertically, the technicians’ efforts to ensure mosque air remains cool and clean constitute ongoing charitable deeds (amal jariah) that facilitate devotion during worship between the servant and His Lord.

Saidah also opened opportunities for the Amaliah Astra Foundation to broaden collaboration on post-disaster reconstruction programmes in Sumatra (Aceh, Tapanuli, and West Sumatra) as a continuation of the joint philanthropic endeavour.

Head of Charity Services of Amaliah Astra Foundation, Gama Yogotomo, expressed his pleasure at the synergy with Baznas that has significantly expanded the reach of the programme.

Since the pandemic, Astra has trained 1,865 AC technicians drawn from youths who left school and from the ranks of productive unemployed.

“We are very grateful to Baznas RI, because this collaboration has significantly increased the number of mosques and beneficiaries. If last year we only cleaned 3,000 AC units, this year, with Baznas’ support, we are targeting 5,000 units. We want to transform participants from job seekers into empowered entrepreneurs,” said Gama.

As of the programme’s launch on 6 March, 370 mosques with 2,486 AC units have been cleaned by 377 technicians involved.

The programme spans 15 provinces and 53 regencies and cities, with potential earnings for technicians of Rp928,381 per person and benefits of comfort for 131,050 people.