Contributor: Wafdah, Editor: Ismail

Training in social mapping and community development is pivotal as they endow individuals and communities with the indispensable skills and tools to comprehend their social environment and strive for constructive transformation. Given the urgent need to formulate an effective program for community development, ESA collaborated with Zakat Sukses and Sekolah Amil Indonesia (SAI) to conduct a training session with Mrs. Rini Suprihartanti M.Si, The Vice Chair of Baznas Bazis DKI Jakarta and Mr. Fahrizal Amir, The Headmaster of SAI, as trainers, exclusively for postgraduate students committed to volunteering.

Mrs. Rini expounded on the interconnection between the zakat economy and the principle of empowerment, stating that the distribution of zakat funds provides individuals and communities with the resources they need to enhance their economic conditions and attain self-sufficiency, culminating in sustainable development and long-term empowerment. Amil institutions can help break the cycle of poverty and cultivate a culture of generosity among their beneficiaries by creating sustainable pathways out of poverty.

To comprehensively understand real-time scenarios, Mr. Fahrizal emphasized the inadequacy of theoretical knowledge alone. Therefore, he conducted a Focus Group Discussion (FGD), inviting students to contextualize the community’s pressing issues while conducting field assessments directly. The objective was to ensure that volunteering students have the necessary skills to act as competent community engagement program managers and field assessors.