Written by:
Ismail A. Said and Moch. Arifin Purwakananta [2]
Introduction
The improvement within the management of zakat is aimed at enhancing the capability of collecting all available zakat resources, organizing them through an effective and efficient management for the empowerment of the ashnafs and to raise umat (moslems) from the poverty and their underdeveloped condition. The last mentioned represents an important key to gain the success of all parties in developing a proper and better zakat management to be able to answer the current age challenge in an effort to eradicate the poverty. Zakat movement[3] is pursued to self-develop in creating ideas to eliminate the poverty to date becoming the focus in all discourses on this contemporary zakat. The idea to apply an effective and efficient management is also hoped to be the main stream as a strategic poverty obliteration in various parts of the globe.
The eradication of poverty guided by means of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG’s) program and supported by many countries needs a lot of strongholds. Basic idea for this zakat movement, with respect to the poverty limit and strategic efforts, is to convert the beneficiaries (mustahiks) into the zakat payers (muzakkis) so that to be able to develop it into a system used in an effort to eradicate the poverty. It means that its focus is not only about how to distribute the zakat fund but more as an effort to make this syariat zakat are able to become a new paradigm in fighting the poverty. It is connected to the basic outlook of poverty and prosperity, determination of poverty limits and concept of social and economic development in combating this poverty.
Poverty in Indonesia
According to the Poverty Mapping[4] the number of mustahiks (beneficiaries) existing all over Indonesia reach 33,943,313. Most of them entitled to receive the zakat are living in East Java numbering to 7,446,180; Central Java 7,012,814, West Java 5,736,425; Lampung 1,560,516; South Sumatera 1,219,050; Banten 1,113,876; North Sumatera 1, 076,778 and NTB 1,041,402; Number of mustahik in other provinces ranges between 60 and 500 thousands. Seen from the gender side they are almost in balance; namely 49.9 percent of them are male and the remaining 50.1 percent are female. Then, 52 percent of these mustahiks are unmarried, 42 percent married, divorce due to the death 4.6 percent and still alive divorce 1.4 percent. Their educational level is also very low, 77 percent are the elementary school dropouts, and most of them works at the sectors of agriculture (63.1 percent); industry 8.9 percent; commercial 8.8 percent and service 7.2 percent.
According to 2010 census on population conducted by the Central Statistic Agency, the number of poor people are 31,02 millions or 3.3 percent of the total population of Indonesia. If using the standard of poverty of the World Bank then this poor people will increase in number;
Furthermore, this Poverty Mapping also reveals that there are 23,676,263 muzakkis in all over Indonesian regions with the biggest cumulative number in West Java numbering to 4,721,101; East Java 2,971,621; DKI 2,467,677; Central Jawa 2,191,199; Banten 1,324,908 and North Sumatera 1,092,880. Most of these muzakkis (60.6 percent) are male, however, the potency of female muzakkis cannot be neglected reaching 39.4 percent. It is worth to note that most of these muzakkis are at the ages between 25 and 59 years (26.1 percent are between 25 – 34 years of age and 25, 00 percent between 45 – 59 years of age. The occupational backgrounds of these muzakkis are as follows: 27.3 percent works at agricultural sector; 20.9 percent at industrial sector, 18,4 at service sector and 19.6 percent at industrial sector.
The Map of Poverty also shows that total population throughout Indoensia are 24,943,341 Most of them being entitled to receive zakat live in East Jawa numbering to 7,446,180; Central Java 7,012,814; West Java 5,736,425; Lampung 1,560,516; NAD 1,280,104; South Sumatera 1,219,050; Banten 1,113,876; North Sumatera 1,076,778 and NTB 1.041.402. The number of mustahik in other provinces ranges between 60 and 500 thousands Seen from the gender side they are almost in balance; namely 49.9 percent of them are male and the remaining 50.1 percent are female. Then, 52 percent of these mustahiks are unmarried, 42 percent married, divorce due to the death 4.6 percent and still alive divorce 1.4 percent. Their educational level is also very low namely 77 percent are the elementary school dropouts, and most of them works at the sectors of agriculture (63.1 percent); industry 8.9 percent; commercial 8.8 percent and service 7.2 percent.
Metamorphoses of Empowerment (Efficient and Productive Use ) of zakat
To cope with the poverty issue, Dompet Dhuafa since its establishment in 1993 has made a lot of programs of empowerment (efficient and productive use) of zakat. These programs are packed into social and economic programs as well as advocacy program. Dompet Dhuafa has helped the born of institutions formed specifically to empower the poor (dhuafa) people.
Social program is a program established to provide social security making the poor (dhuafa) get a proper access to obtain the services of health, education and settlement be able to fulfill the needs in an emergency and urgent conditions. Therefore, the Dompet Dhuafa has established Lembaga Pengembangan Insani (activity in educational field), Lembaga Kesehatan Cuma Cuma (activity in Health service); Lembaga Pelayan Masyarakaat (public service for the dhuafa), Disaster Management Center (to handle disaster and humanity issues) and Institut Kemandirian (to eliminate unemployment).
Other programs are in the field of Energy and Environment by Alms For Trees (Sedekah Pohon), clean water provision and resettlement for the dhuafa. These agencies has made several programs in their respective region in various regions all over Indonesia.
The economic program conducted to lift up the certain level of income of the poor into the group with sufficient income making them to get rid of the poverty limit. To operate this mission, the Dompet Dhuafa has established several organizations such as Baitulmaal Wattamwil or BMT (to drill and establish and extend the initial fund to this BMT network and BMT capitalization and to encourage the establishment of BMT Center); Lembaga Pertanian Sehat (empowering the farmers in an organic agriculture); Masyarakat Mandiri (providing microcredit and assisting the small scale business in the villages) Kampoeng Ternak (building the network of animal breeders and provide them with capital and breeder assistance) Baitulmaal Desa (building rural self-sufficiency by means of various business sectors) and many other programs such Fishery and Maritime Program and Social Trust Fund (STF).
The advocacy programs are built to help the develop some organizations such as Indonesian Magnificient of Zakat or IMZ (focused on capacity building, research and zakat advocacy) and other advocacy activities such as Indonesian Migrant Worker defense, and advocacy involving some Indonesian NGOs, legal aids for the poor (cooperation with Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (Indonesia Legal Aids Society) or YLBHI) poisonous food advocacy (cooperation with Lembaga Konsumen Indonesia or YLKI), anti corruption advocacy (cooperation with Indonesia Corruption Watch or ICW) and assistance to eradicate woman’s illiteracy (cooperation with YAPPIKA) and others.
These Programs are supplemented by the activities of distribution of Kurban through Tebar Hewan Kurban (THK), Wakaf empowering through Tabung Wakaf Indonesia (TWI), and providing assistance and consultation for the corporations performing the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. This program has been executed in all branches and representatives all over Indonesia and that conducted by Dompet Dhuafa’s branches on foreign countries such in Hongkong, Australia, and Japan and also supported by the implementation of other programs in Palestine, Iraq, East Timor, Pakistan, Vietnam, Philippine, and other countries.
Concept of Integrated Community Empowering
Entering the age of 17 years, the Dompet Dhuafa has encouraged to build the program which was capable of integrating all possessed empowering powers into a single integrated program within a certain community. Entering 2008, the ideas of this integrated program was started by making a working plan of 2009-2013 as a middle term planning phase to be continued later by the following term programs.
For which, the Dompet Dhuafa has drawn up a basic term of reference for Islamic Integrated Community Development Program under the name of Klaster Mandiri Program. This strategic term of reference is the making of Blueprint of this Program Klaster Mandiri, Poverty Mapping, Survey and Selection of Cluster, Determination of Strategic Partner, Program Launching and Implementation, and Program Monitoring and Evaluation.
Klaster Mandiri Program was built and supported by 5 pillars namely the System, Humanity Value, Legal and Justice, Economic and Prosperity, and Institutional Building.[5] It means that the empowerment must refer to the syariah economic system as an ideal system. This Klaster Mandiri Program must regard the human as an important factor namely as a subject and not an object, the human is not permitted to be regarded as the resources but must be regarded as the khalifah (leader) managing the nature. This program exists within an orderliness framework and impartiality full of wisdom. Of course it also must be able to enhance the economic prosperity to make the targeted group has the economic capability. This program is conducted also by institutional building and strengthening to guarantee a sustainable empowerment. These five paradigms are expected to become the basic framework for such Klaster Mandiri Program.
This Klaster Mandiri Program also believe that an integrated community empowering must be concentrated into the growth, access availability and impartiality.
Enhancing the Economic Growth
As the efforts to grow the communal economic, the concept of Klaster Mandiri must build the strengthening of capital liquidity, production factors and trade.
The stagnant economic in rural area is most caused by insufficient liquidity and capital to create the economic transactions. The poor people in these rural areas cannot easily get access into the equities. There must be a breakthrough to get access to the capital to be used in a productive sector in the village. Therefore no one in the village entrapped by the usury (riba). Capital strengthening as an economic effort can be strengthened by providing the microcredit through the establishment of BMT, Social Trust Fund or other capitalizing mechanism by using the zakat funds.
Strengthening of Production Factor in the village such as the agriculture, fishery, animal breeding, trade, small scale business etc. are strengthened by a set of the assisting and strengthening programs. The challenge is quite strong since currently, the production sector is very weak. The people has been mentally influenced by the consumptive pattern as supported by the government’s import policy effected against productive sector in the village. The newest example is the case of imported cows making the local breeder scream hopelessly. Improving the life of these farmers, breeders and fishermen must be related to the village’s productivity. In this sector, the zakat fund is used to increase the empowering capability of rural poor people and to build their productive infra-structures.
Capitalization and production sectors must be connected to a fair trade. And the trade strengthening will further motivate just economic system which is capable of growing the rural industrial sector and simultaneously securing an unobstructed distribution of their daily needs. This trade strengthening is conducted by pressing on the commercial strength of the farmers, breeders and small scale businessman through the training and assistance with respect to the product quality, certification, product packing and strengthening of the marketing board (marketing network). The zakat fund can be developed to strengthen this trade sector by the establishment of traditional market and other infrastructure.
Motivating the Access Availability
Each poor community must be secured to get access to their human rights. Such basic needs are the health, education, housing, and others. New paradigms are needed respecting the importance of shifting these basic needs (especially education and health) from the economic to social sectors. A hospital and schools must be built not by a profit but by a service approach.
Providing access for the poor people to get their basic right may be supported from zakat fund, in order to fulfill availability of the zakat fund can be mixed with the providing of resources from village social insurance by activating local wisdom that currently implementing in the villages of Indonesia such as the concept of cooperation, jimpitan (sharing/collecting a small glass of rice), arisan (collecting some money and determined a person who deserves to get the turn in a certain period once) etc.
Empowerment Advocacy
To encourage and obtain participations from all parties, the Klaster Mandiri has attempted to motivate the one-sided policy, network strengthening and grass-root empowerment in the village. This is conducted by strengthening the rural empowerment research and cultural advocacy and even a rural social engineering by consistently using all local wisdom as it social capital.
Implementation of Program Klaster Mandiri
Klaster Mandiri Program was launched in the month of Ramadhan 1431H/August 2010 with its programs in 21 villages of 21 Regencies all over Indonesia. The village selection has been conducted using a strict analyses through the mapping of poverty and field survey by taking note to its social capital possessed to increase the achievement rate of the program.
The Regions of this Klaster Mandiri are selected based on the map of poverty by calculating the ratio between the muzakki and mustahik, social capital, minority Moslem area, borderland area. At the time of the launching these 21 selected Regencies (Kabupaten) are :
1. Regency of Bintan, Kepulauan Riau
2. Regency of Tapanuli Tengah, North Sumatera
3. Regency of Mentawai, West Sumatera
4. Regency of Lampung Selatan, Lampung
5. Regency of Lebak, Banten
6. Regency of Garut, Jabar
7. Regency of Brebes, Jateng
8. Regency of Blora, Jateng
9. Regency of Kulonprogo, DIY
10. Regency of Tuban, Jatim
11. Regency of Ponorogo, Jatim
12. Regency of Karangasem, Bali
13. Regency of Bima, NTB
14. Regency of Rote Nda, NTT
15. Regency of Benkayang, Kalbar
16. Regency of Tanah Laut, Kalsel
17. Regency of Bantaeng, Sulsel
18. Regency of Banggai, Sulteng
19. Regency of Halmahera Selatan, Maluku Utara
20. Regency of Merauke, Papua
21. Regency of Bogor (Zona Madina).
At each klaster mandiri, a partner called as “Sahabat” behaves as an assistance, dynamists, and generator of rural empowerment. This Sahabat is a youth nominated and local figure who will be act as a community organizer in each program area.
Zona Madina
The biggest Klaster Mandiri was named as the Zona Madina[6]. Zona Madina has been designed and developed using the concepts of the growing and integrated area with the foundation of Islam’s set of values being rahmatan lil alamin with the biggest goal of empowerment in the broader sense covering the development of socio-economy, culture, and religious values using the mosque as the centre of the movement. The design of Zona Madina is made by noticing all local values developed to reach its optimum point for the development of socio-economic of 5 km square radius surrounding community. The Zona Madina has been built by using the wakaf (endowment) and the operational cost using zakat, infaq, shadaqah, voluntary funds from Indonesian community and the donation of the companies, government and other “halal” (not violating the Moslem’s rules) resources.
The establishment of Zona Madina was started on 7th day of January 2009 coinciding with 10 Muharram 1030 H begun with the construction of Rumah Sakit Zakat[7] in Indonesia planned to finish by the end of 2010. Zona Madina is an open area which can be visited by the public 24 hours a day and 7 days in a week.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Klaster Mandiri Program has clear indicator and parameter both qualitatively and quantitatively for its program implementation and also the impact of this program implementation against the community. A periodic review or evaluation is conducted by yearly and quarterly monitoring and evaluation program.
For which, the baseline study is conducted at each community prior to the execution of this program to evaluate more accurately the degree of impact of such program
Klaster Mandiri as A Model
As an integrated concept, which will be consistently improved, the Klaster Mandiri has been designed so as its replica can be made for empowerment modeling of the poor through an integrated program by using the zakat funds. Therefore, the program Klaster Mandiri has been made in several empowerment modules. This modeling can be conducted by taking all programs and selecting it into modules.
If this program can be applied in many poor communities in Indonesia and all over the world, then the Dompet Dhuafa hopes this concept can trigger the zakat dimensioned empowerment with its sharper target and more effective and efficient use for our effort to alleviate the poverty. The same consequences also felt if this zakat movement in various region can be inspired by this program and develop it to become more ideal and comprehensive concept. Eventually that we all can realize zakat as the mainstream for the strategy to eradicate the poverty.
Translation by Sabeth Abilawa And Uti Ramlan
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[1] This issue is delivered at the First Forum of World Conference on Zakat held on 28 September – 2 October 2010 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
[2] Ismail A Said is a President Director of Dompet Dhuafa, and Mr. Moch Arifin Purwakananta is a Program Director of Dompet Dhuafa. This Dompet Dhuafa represents Lembaga Amil Zakat Nasional; established and stipulated by the Decision of the Minister of Religious Affairs.
[3] Zakat Movement becomes a common term for all structured activities conducted by all zakat activists and organizations in various region to expand the zakat as a syariah with the objective of the brightness of umat, poverty eradication and empowerment of them. This term has been used in the book of South Asia Zakat Movement written by Arifin Purwakananta Cs. FOZ 2008 and in the book of Zakat Movement for Indonesia also written by Arifin Purwakananta cs., 2007
[4] Poverty Mapping by Arifin Purwakananta Cs, Dompet Dhuafa Publisher, 2012
[5] The Five Pillars of Program Klaster Mandiri is inspired by Maqasidu As Syariah
[6] Zona Madina, an area locating in Kabupaten Bogor is an integrated Islamic community development area erected on 5,5 Hectare area in Parung, Bogor. In this area, there are senior schools, Mosque, Hosptal, Public and Econmic Development, Guest House, Outbound, Sport Ground, Digital Library, Multipurpose Hall, Bussines Center, Fuel Station, Rest Area and other public empowering and service facilities.
[7] Due to using the preventive paradigm, this Rumah Sehat Terpadu (Integrated Hospital), is planned to be the biggest zakat hospital in Indonesia providing health care and treatment to the beneficiaries (mustahik) using the zakat fund.
