Indramayu Regency Becomes Pilot Project for Baznas 'Rumah Terang' Solar Lighting Programme

The National Alms Agency (Baznas) has initiated the Rumah Terang Baznas programme, a project to illuminate homes beyond the reach of the electricity grid by installing solar panels, with a pilot project in Cikawung Village, Indramayu. Baznas RI Chairman Sodik Mudjahid stated that the programme is one of 13 priority initiatives focusing on poverty alleviation, education, and public welfare. “Today we are putting it into practice in the Indramayu area. And for one device package like this, there is a cable, a lamp, and a solar cell,” Sodik said in Indramayu, West Java, on Thursday. Sodik explained that the programme, which has a national target of reaching 452 heads of families, is being gradually focused on 102 families in Indramayu. In addition to residential homes, the programme in Indramayu also targets one local mosque, bringing the total to 103 points now equipped with environmentally friendly electrical installations. “And this lamp is valid for 10 years, a minimum of 10 years. And this has also been permitted by PLN,” Sodik added. The presence of this aid programme is expected to provide a tangible impact that is directly visible to the community, while also serving as a reflection of the utilisation of nationally collected zakat funds. “We have just seen the proof, from a dark place to a bright place. And Baznas’s 13 priority programmes are the result of zakat, infak, and sedekah from all muzaki across Indonesia. For the first in Indramayu, for this week it is 103,” he said. He hopes the programme will have implications for changing the quality of life for the community in Cikawung Village, Indramayu, after their area gains access to proper lighting. “The hope is that the community becomes smarter, more diligent in studying, especially their children, more enthusiastic about life, increases their worship, and increases their work, so that overall they become more prosperous,” Sodik said. Meanwhile, programme beneficiary Onoh (45) expressed gratitude after a long wait of 25 years without lighting. Before receiving the lamp and solar panel assistance, Onoh was familiar with darkness. The only source of light in her home relied on a traditional oil lamp. “Alhamdulillah, sir, I received lamp assistance. I hope this becomes a blessing for me and my family,” Onoh said.