Empowering communities is an effort that needs to be carried out continuously. This is because there are numerous benefits and positive impacts of community empowerment when done with a proper, transparent, and trustworthy system. Please read the following explanation on empowerment in addressing social issues.
The Meaning of Community Empowerment:
The meaning of community empowerment is not merely giving aid or contributions, but rather an effort to uplift the dignity and capacity of individuals and groups within the community. This is reflected in a verse from the Quran which emphasizes, “Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran, Ar-Ra’d: 11). From this verse, we can understand that every individual has a responsibility to change the unfavorable realities within themselves and their surroundings.
Community empowerment is the process of providing tools, knowledge, and confidence to individuals so that they can play an active role in creating positive changes in society. This involves providing education, training, fair access, and the necessary support to enable the community to take control of their own destiny.
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Characteristics of Community Empowerment with Positive Impact:
In the effort of community empowerment, the hope is to bring about positive impacts on social life. There are several characteristics of empowerment that have a positive impact on the community, and here are their traits:
Active Participation as a Positive Characteristic
Community empowerment values the active participation of all members. Every individual has a voice in decision-making and the implementation of programs that affect their lives. In the Quran, Allah Himself encourages humanity to contemplate and reflect on His creation.
Community Empowerment is Skill Development
In practice, community empowerment involves the development of individual and group skills. This includes education, training, and access to necessary knowledge. So, it’s not just about providing assistance but imparting knowledge that is beneficial for individuals or communities to develop effectively. Even the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself taught us to seek knowledge continuously.
Community Empowerment Provides Fair Access
Empowerment programs provide fair access to resources and opportunities. This helps reduce social and economic disparities.
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Based on the Values of Goodness
Community empowerment programs rooted in religious values have broader impacts. This aligns with the principles of integrity and ethics in Islam, which emphasize being a source of mercy for all of creation.
Maintaining Economic and Social Balance
Community empowerment aims to achieve economic and social balance. This is reflected in Islamic teachings about sharing blessings with others.
Community Empowerment Fosters Creativity and Innovation
Programs that encourage creativity and innovation empower individuals to address challenges effectively. In Islam, there is an emphasis on doing work to the best of one’s ability to achieve good results and receive blessings from Allah.
Implementing Cross-Sector Collaboration
Effective community empowerment involves collaboration between government, civil society organizations, and individuals. This reflects the spirit of mutual cooperation in Islam, making empowerment more successful through collaboration.
Sustainable Community Empowerment
Successful empowerment programs do not just offer short-term solutions but also plan for sustainable solutions for the future.
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Empowering Self-Reliance
Communities are taught to manage resources and solve problems on their own, fostering self-reliance and reducing dependency on aid.
Community Empowerment as an Economic Growth Driver
Through economic empowerment, communities can create job opportunities, increase income, and drive local economic growth.
Empowering Women and Children
Empowerment programs must be inclusive and encompass all members of society, including women and children. Programs should be designed to be accessible and manageable by women and children.
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Dompet Dhuafa Community Empowerment Programs
Dompet Dhuafa implements five pillar programs across various regions in Indonesia, which include Social Programs, Da’wah and Cultural Programs, Economic Programs, Education Programs, and Health Programs. Within these programs, community empowerment initiatives are also carried out to comprehensively promote community development. Below are some of the community empowerment programs implemented by Dompet Dhuafa:
– Social Program Bina Santri Lapas
“Bina Santri Lapas” is a program with the aim of providing guidance, activities, and religious training for incarcerated individuals of the Islamic faith in Correctional Facilities (Lembaga Pemasyarakatan or Lapas). These activities take place at the designated times and locations provided by the correctional facility authorities, with the hope that, upon their release, the incarcerated individuals can lead better lives and be accepted in society. The activities of the Bina Santri Lapas program include training and empowerment for the incarcerated individuals, regular guidance sessions with the presence of religious scholars in the correctional facility, observance of significant Islamic and national holidays, courses/training for preachers and mosque prosperity, problem-solving dialogues with the “santri” (students of Islamic religious education), and home care. Currently, the Bina Santri Lapas program collaborates in managing the education of Islamic students in seven correctional facilities.
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– The Economic Empowerment Program: Empowering and Developing Community Economic Potential
As part of its efforts to create a self-reliant and empowered community, Dompet Dhuafa has designed an economic empowerment program. This program is made possible through the utilization of zakat, alms, and waqf (ZISWAF) funds entrusted by generous donors. The aim of this economic empowerment program is to elevate the quality of life for those in need, the underprivileged, and economically disadvantaged communities by focusing on increasing their economic income. Through this program, Dompet Dhuafa donors hope to equip the benefit recipients with knowledge about entrepreneurship, the ability to access capital, risk minimization, business management, marketing, and asset control.
Various examples of economic empowerment programs include Healthy Farming, People’s Livestock Farming, Creative Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM), Social Trust Fund, Agro-Industries, Livestock Centers, Family Food Gardens, and Cash for Work initiatives. Additionally, as part of program development and innovation, Dompet Dhuafa has introduced DD Farm as an expansion of the economic empowerment initiative based on agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry. This development includes over 1,000 hectares of farmland, dozens of livestock centers, and several fisheries centers within the DD Farm project, which will undoubtedly continue to grow as it progresses.
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Collaboration between donors and stakeholders is a strategic step for strengthening and ensuring the success of the economic empowerment program. In the economic empowerment program of Dompet Dhuafa, the organization manages the trust of donors and channels it to the benefit recipients, starting from training, financing, mentoring, and continuing with monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, technology is applied while prioritizing the local wealth and knowledge, institutional factors, and partnership models that are mutually beneficial and foster connections between the government, farmers/producers, private entities, and technology providers. This approach is aimed at uplifting and advancing the economic empowerment program.
– Empowering Through Education Programs
The Mentas Unggul Institute, more commonly known as IMU, is a human resource development program that aims to enhance the skills of its program benefit recipients. The goal is for them to ultimately generate income or create employment opportunities. IMU has established several branches, including IMU Sewing, IMU Hairdressing, and IMU Cooking, with a specific focus on food processing.
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Redirecting Zakat for Community Empowerment
There are still many community empowerment programs managed by Dompet Dhuafa that have not been included in this article. Assistance is distributed to various segments of society, from children to the elderly, covering education, health, and more. The zakat contributions provided by generous donors to Dompet Dhuafa consistently transform into productive programs aimed at improving the quality of life for all in a fair and equitable manner. Channel your zakat for community empowerment through the link below.
