KUCHING: Tabung Baitulmal Sarawak (TBS) has collectively benefited 60 recipients of assistance under its Strengthening the Tradition of Knowledge and Strengthening Ummah’s Virtues programmes.
The institution has contributed RM13,000 to 10 asnaf (hardcore poor individuals) along with medical aid during the aid distribution handover ceremony at the Ummah Distribution Centre (UDC) in Medan Hamidah here today.
The Back to School programme was also organised during the ceremony to deliver school supplies and cash assistance of RM100 each to 50 asnaf children.
Officiated at by TBS general manager Datuk Abang Mohd Shibli Abang Mohd Nailie, he said that the institution intended to keep providing the necessary needs for the asnaf.
“We also keep up our efforts in the areas of welfare, Islamic institutions, education, and skills.
“In terms of how many people we have been able to assist thus far, we have spent more than 80 million ringgit annually.
“We prioritise education because we believe that it can help people break free from the cycle of poverty,” he told reporters after officiating at the event.
The Back to School programme is an initiative that manifests the ecosystem of aid provided by TBS through the Ummah Distribution Centre (UDC) and branch offices in distributing aid to the children of asnaf recipients to ease the burden of preparing for the upcoming school session, which is set to commence in March 2023.
The programme will also be implemented throughout Sarawak through TBS offices in every division.
As of February 28, 2023, a total of RM13.02 million in Zakat distribution has been disbursed to asnaf recipients through its four main programmes, namely the Strengthening the Tradition of Knowledge, Developing Islamic Institutions, Strengthening Ummah’s Virtues, and Enhancing Ummah’s Skills programmes.
As such, he noted that the institution has more than 4038 members across the state.
The list that TBS has is sufficiently checked, he said, to ensure that those who get help meet the requirements of Shariah; which are people who are really poor and needy.
He added that the institution’s role is that of a complementary agent with its own criteria and methods of determination.
“Therefore, we come in as complementary agents, and finally, those in need get help, either from the government or from us as complementary agents,” he said.
Also present at the ceremony were deputy manager Bolhassan Iskandar Taibi, TBS Finance and Administration Sector head Sulaiman Mahili, TBS Operations Sector head deputy Mohd Yusree Mohd Zain, TBS’s head of Welfare Division Mohamat Shukri Samor as well as other officials from TBS.
