Punk Communities and Street Children Become Students at Pesantren Jalan Cahaya

Indonesia’s National Zakat Agency (Baznas) is providing inclusive religious education for street children, punk communities, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups through the Pesantren Jalan Cahaya programme at 20 locations across Indonesia during the holy month of Ramadan 1447 Hijriah.

The inaugural session of Pesantren Jalan Cahaya was held at Masjid Jami’ Nurul Hidayah in Kampung Sawah, Cilincing, North Jakarta, on Saturday (21 February).

“Ramadan is the best moment to strengthen faith. Through Pesantren Jalan Cahaya, we want to ensure that zakat becomes a light of change for our brothers and sisters who have long been marginalised,” said Baznas’s Head of Distribution and Utilisation, Saidah Sakwan, in a statement issued in Jakarta on Monday (23 June 2026).

Saidah emphasised that the programme forms part of Baznas’s commitment to delivering zakat that has both spiritual and social impact, in line with the agency’s Ramadan slogan: “Zakat Strengthens Indonesia.”

Meanwhile, Head of the Education and Da’wah Division at Baznas, Farid Septian, explained that the programme was specifically designed to reach communities that have long had minimal access to formal religious guidance.

He set a target of two thousand participants from various marginalised groups to benefit from the programme. Farid noted that the Ramadan-period mentoring would serve as an entry point for follow-up programmes through the Zakat Community Development approach, encompassing economic and social empowerment to ensure sustainable change.

“We want to reach communities that have been neglected by religious outreach. Our hope is that they can rediscover the light and draw closer to Allah SWT,” he said.

One participant, Puji, expressed her gratitude and hoped that similar activities would continue. “Thank God, I am delighted with this Baznas programme. Besides worshipping during Ramadan, we can strengthen our bonds and gain religious knowledge. I hope this won’t only happen during Ramadan,” Puji said.