Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Zakat Amil Agency (Baznas) has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the elected government to make the Free Nutritious Meals program a success by optimizing the role of trained zakat recipients (mustahik).

Baznas head Noor Achmad delivered the remarks after closing the National Working Meeting (Rakornas) 2024 of the agency in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Friday.

"We hope that there will be collaboration to employ mustahik. So that, it can absorb the labor," he said in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday.

Achmad informed that currently, there are many trained Baznas mustahik who have the necessary qualifications to work for the food barn program, livestock centers, and also trained MSMEs of Baznas and private zakat agencies (LAZ).

"We have livestock centers, such as cattle, laying hens, broilers, and fish. We also have small MSMEs in the villages and mustahik who can cook in the kitchen, while the young mustahik can become food delivery persons," he said.

Under the collaboration, Achmad emphasized that there would be no capitalization or effort to take profit, but instead labor absorption in the village.

"So, if there is a collaboration between the government and Baznas, it will strengthen the role of mustahik in terms of empowerment," he said.

The Baznas Rakornas was held from September 25–27, 2024, and joined by 1,200 participants from 38 provinces and 514 districts/cities. It was themed Sinergi Pengelolaan Zakat Inklusif untuk Penanggulangan Kemiskinan dan Kesejahteraan dalam rangka Sukses Astacita.

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Translator: Sean Filo Muhamad, Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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