SORONG, WEST PAPUA — The Eid al-Adha celebration is just around the corner. After a five-hour drive from Jakarta to Papua, praise be to God, the Dompet Dhuafa Qurbani Animal Distribution Team arrived in Sorong Regency, an interior region in West Papua.
Yes, the ‘Tebar Hewan Kurban (THK) Program of Dompet Dhuafa once again greets the Land of the Bird of Paradise. The route from the center of Sorong City to the distribution location was smooth and comfortable, praise be to God. The distance traveled was only about 3-4 km.
The eight points include Malasom, Kuruwato, Klabinain, Margomulyo, Arar Island, Warmon Kokoda, and Maibo. After ensuring the readiness of the sacrificial animals, the team traveled another 3-4 km to one of the slaughter and distribution sites, Warmon Kokoda, Mayamuk District, Sorong Regency.
In this location, there are 232 families who live untouched by technological and information advances. The community can only consume meat once a year, and even then only at the time of Eid al-Adha.
“Here from Dompet Dhuafa, praise be to God, every day there is certainly qurbani,” said Aris Syamsudin, the local village head.
The Warmon Kokoda community mainly works as farmhands, planters, and fishermen. They live in limitations.
“Most of the women here grow kale. (The produce) they take to the market, the central market,” added Syamsudin.
The community in the area, which lives in 2 RTs and 4 RWs, welcomed the presence of the Dompet Dhuafa Qurban Animal Distribution Team. Later, the meat will be butchered in the area around the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque.
“What is clear is that tomorrow, when the slaughtering takes place, there will be people, and they are very enthusiastic and excited. We are very grateful that we can have one cow here. Alhamdulillah, the community will be very happy,” added Syamsudin.
Read also: These are the characteristics of animals that are forbidden for sacrifice
Apart from rarely eating meat, the people here also experience clean water emergencies. So, they are forced to drink brackish water to meet their daily needs. Rain is not only a gift, but also a blessing for them. Because only by utilizing rainwater can they consume fresh water. Therefore, many Warmon Kokoda residents make rainwater collection around their homes as a supply of water for daily needs.
“Here the most concrete problem is clean water, for drinking needs, and so on. The people here mostly wait for rain, because we have drilled several times almost 200 meters but the water is brackish,” he added.
“We only rely on rain. We from the village have budgeted to buy one 1,100-liter profile tank for each house, so that they can store it in their homes,” said Syamsudin frankly. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Anndini Dwi Putri
Editor: Ronna