Baznas Strengthens Synergy to Expand Zakat Benefits for the Community

The National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) is strengthening its synergy with Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah to collaborate on several flagship programmes, aiming to expand benefits, improve community welfare, and support the acceleration of poverty alleviation in Indonesia. Baznas Chairman Sodik Mudjahid emphasised the importance of building professional collaboration with community pillars, including Islamic mass organisations and strategic religious groups, to ensure zakat fund distribution has a broader impact. He explained that the distribution structure at Baznas refers directly to the eight asnaf, or eligible recipients of zakat. Sodik stated that Baznas does not only act as a charity distributor but is also part of a strategic movement to build a just and sustainable Islamic economy. He noted that while the development of schools, hospitals, and Islamic boarding schools continues, strengthening economic institutions within mass organisations must also be enhanced. To achieve this, Baznas is opening opportunities for collaboration through its various flagship programmes, which align with the empowerment efforts of Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah. Idy Muzayyad, Baznas Director for Distribution and Empowerment, mentioned that programmes such as the Baznas Social Guarantee, Baznas Clean Water, Baznas Cendekia Scholarship, and micro, small, and medium enterprise empowerment are highly relevant for joint implementation with the organisation. Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah Chairman Deding Ishak expressed appreciation for Baznas’s management of community funds and stated the organisation’s readiness to support and synergise to realise community welfare. He viewed Baznas as highly competent and appropriate to be the main conductor in the context of poverty alleviation and economic empowerment, noting that its programmes align with Islamic teachings and the national development agenda.