JAKARTA — Chairman of the Board of Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation (YDDR), Ahmad Juwaini, explained the role of Dompet Dhuafa in supporting the potential of the halal creative industry at the Halal Creative Forum 2024 event initiated by Scarf Media. Located at Sapta Pesona Building, Kemenparekraf, Jakarta, the explanation was presented in the Halal Creative Industry Support System talk session, Thursday (5/9/2024).
The halal creative industry is increasingly showing its potential as one of the sectors capable of driving Indonesia’s economic growth. With the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia has a great opportunity to become the center of halal creativity.
Dompet Dhuafa as an Islamic philanthropic organization integrates Islamic values in economic activities. Not only channeling zakat, infaq, sadaqah, and waqf funds but also facilitating the development of creative businesses in accordance with halal principles. Such as helping creative business actors, especially from MSMEs, to access financing, training, mentoring, being equipped with skills, given capital, and assisted in developing and finding markets to have halal certification.
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“As a philanthropic institution, especially in terms of assisting, developing and empowering micro businesses, we must help direct these businesses to meet halal standards so that they can obtain halal certification. So, therefore we foster them, assist them, then also support so that the requirements as a halal-certified business can be fulfilled, “said Ahmad Juwaini.
Dompet Dhuafa is committed to the development of the halal industry through various programs that have been running. Through this Halal Creative Forum, Dompet Dhuafa also wants to encourage and invite the public to actively participate in helping MSMEs to develop and obtain halal certification, with full support from the community.
One of its programs is the Institute of Independence (IK) which was born with the vision of becoming the best vocational training and business incubation center in preparing quality human resources to create an empowered society. Such as sewing training, barbering, woodworking (makerspace), automotive, barista and many more.
It has been 17 years since IK helped the poor become more empowered with various skills improvement programs. More than 6,000 beneficiaries have been successfully empowered. In addition to training, business actors are given capital to start and develop their businesses.
In addition, economic empowerment programs while preserving the cultural heritage of the archipelago, Dompet Dhuafa initiated a batik empowerment program for mothers in Giriloyo village, Imogiri, Yogyakarta. Dompet Dhuafa has now succeeded in giving birth to several empowered batik makers. One of them is Nani Nurhayati Lestari.
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Nani is the youngest woman to mentor members of Batik Berkah Lestari, one of Dompet Dhuafa’s economic empowerment programs. Her sales have now penetrated the international market thanks to digital sales facilities through applications, e-commerce, and marketplaces, so that products can be marketed abroad.
“Dompet Dhuafa is very open in supporting creative industry activities, supporting economic development – small businesses, then supporting halal industry activities, what is important for us is as far as these activities can lift the lives of people or those who do not have a business to become a business that we assist until they become independent entrepreneurs and can even help new businesses in Indonesia,” added Ahmad.
According to Ahmad, in the last three years, the government has also been aggressively supporting halal certification through the self-declare program. This is very helpful for businesses assisted by Dompet Dhuafa and others in obtaining halal certification.
“And it is done by us simultaneously in collaboration with other parties (government) who support the development of the halal industry,” Ahmad added.
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Since 2016, Scarf Media and Dompet Dhuafa have been working closely together in various empowerment programs, such as in Klaten Weaving and Batik Imogiri. Scarf Media understands well Dompet Dhuafa’s efforts through programs that not only empower small businesses, but also help them grow.
“These Dompet Dhuafa programs have proven to be very useful in encouraging the growth of the creative economy at the national level to be greater so automatically the creative industry is also getting more and more so very good programs from Dompet Dhuafa for the halal creative industry in Indonesia,” said Temi Sumarlin, Executive Director of Scarf Media.
Referring to the State of Global Islamic Economic Report (SGIER) data, the global halal industry will continue to grow to reach 3.2 trillion US dollars by 2024. The potential of the halal industry is a great opportunity for Indonesian creative industries so that they must be able to compete to become global halal industry producers. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: Anndini Dwi Putri
Editor: Dhika Prabowo