City collects Rp 6.7b in alms for the poor

City collects Rp 6.7b in alms for the poor

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of poor Moslems in the city will
benefit from Rp 6.7 billion (US$3 million) the city
administration has collected from philanthropists over the past
year.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja symbolically transferred the money
to the beneficiaries on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by senior
officials and representatives from BAZIS, the board which
oversees the alms collection.

The sum collected this year is 55 percent higher than that
raised last year, which was Rp 4.3 billion.

The governor said that although the alms rose by more than
half, he was still "unhappy" because the sum could be a lot
higher if more rich Moslems had contributed to the social
mission.

"This contribution is small in view of the huge number of rich
Moslems in the City," he said. He added that Moslems comprise 86
percent, or 7.5 million, of the city's population.

Judging from their strengthening economic capability, the
city's Moslems could have doubled their contribution this year,
he said.

The governor urged the board's executives to optimize their
activities by making them social and better managing the money
raised.

The board's chairman, H.M. Amien, said 50 percent of the fund
will be used to help the poor, 45 percent will be set aside for
propagation activities and the remaining five percent for other
religious activities.

Amien said helping educate the poor will be a top priority. Up
to Rp 844 million of the Rp 7.6 billion already raised this year
is earmarked for scholarships for 950 high school students, 650
undergraduate students and 20 postgraduate students. Rp 1.1
billion is for 16,000 foster children, Rp 37.5 million for
religious teachers and Rp 465 million for business capital for
the poor.

The remaining funds will be used for other social activities
in line with its main purpose, including land appropriation for
building dormitories for poor students, Amien said. (32)