LPM Dompet Dhuafa Invites People with Mental Disabilities to Celebrate Ramadan
Dompet Dhuafa, through its Social Service Institute (LPM), organised a Ramadan celebration event with people with mental disabilities at the Grand Mosque of Bogor City on Thursday, 12 March 2026, attracting 120 participants.
The participants were people with mental disabilities supported by 12 partner foundations of LPM. The event provided an opportunity for people with mental disabilities from various foundations to build fellowship and connections with one another.
The festivities featured various competitions including calls to prayer (adzan) and iqamah recitations, memorisation of short Quranic chapters, sermonettes (cultum), Islamic knowledge quizzes, and memorisation of daily Islamic prayers.
Irene Dwi Wahyu, a facilitator from Soeharto Heerdjan Psychiatric Hospital, stated that the event held significant therapeutic value for people with mental disabilities. “This activity is very meaningful because beyond the event itself, it also serves as therapy for mental health patients. Competitions like this can boost patient confidence, increase motivation, and improve communication and social interaction. Participants also gain better education about Ramadan and fasting,” she said.
Irene noted that participants showed remarkable enthusiasm for the event. Although most of them fasted given their recovery had reached approximately 80 per cent, their enthusiasm remained undiminished throughout the activities. “Alhamdulillah, all my patients almost fully fasted because their relapse symptoms are minimal, but they were very enthusiastic. From early morning they were ready and they appeared to be having great fun,” she added.
Tubagus Iim Nurrohim, Head of Programme Development for Dhuafa at LPM, said the event represented an excellent opportunity to invite people with mental disabilities to celebrate Ramadan through positive activities. “In this event, we invited people with mental disabilities to showcase their talents during Ramadan. Through this activity, we also want to demonstrate to the general public that people with mental disabilities are capable of undertaking activities that anyone else can do,” he said.
The event concluded with the announcement of competition winners and prize distribution.
Iim expressed hope that the event would help disseminate awareness to the broader public about dispelling negative stigma surrounding mental disabilities whilst building confidence among people with mental health conditions, enabling them to gain acceptance in community life.