Thrust on social campaign for Zakat to make ultra-poor self-reliant

FE Report

Speakers at an event urged the people on Saturday to give Zakat as close supervision of the special Zakat fund could make ultra poor community financially solvent by bringing them out of the vicious cycle of poverty.

Their comments came at an experience sharing programme of the 6th 'Zakat Fair 2018' where many people shared their stories how they became self-reliant through using the special fund provided by Centre for Zakat Management (CZM).

"The well-off section of the society is little aware of the proper ways of zakat distribution system. So they are giving saree and lungi to the poor segment of the society instead of making them self-dependent," they said.

The function styled 'Examples of Becoming Self-reliant by Zakat Fund' was organised by CZM at Bangladesh Shooting Sports Federation in the city.

Dr Mohammad Ayub Miah, chief executive officer of CZM, and general manager of the organisation Khondokar Zakaria Ahmed were present at the programme.

Member secretary of the fair organising committee AMM Nasir Uddin presided over the session.

Mohammad Ayub Miah said there was no room for becoming complacent about our little initiative as many people are still below the poverty line in the country.

AMM Nasir Uddin said the motto of Zakat is to make people self-dependent, not distribution of saree and lungi.

He also urged the conscious section of the society to launch a social campaign for Zakat to make the people understand its main spirit.

Social campaign for giving zakat under an institutional platform like CZM can benefit real poor community, he said.

Beneficiaries, who received Zakat fund and were patronised by CZM, from different parts of the country, took part in the event and shared their success stories.

Marzina, who received zakat fund from CZM, shared her success story at the event, saying that she was passing a very miserable life with her husband and two children before 2016 due to the financial insolvency and debt burden. Her family was living in a small room at a slum in Dhaka's Lalbagh area in an unhygienic environment.

But her life changed when she got Tk 40,000 from CZM in 2016 under the livelihood programme of the organisation.

She is now earning Tk 30,000 each month by doing imitation ornament business. She has set up a factory for making imitation ornaments and employed seven workers there.

Every worker is getting Tk10, 000 each week, she said, adding that she improved her lifestyle now and her family is living with happiness and social dignity.

Marzina also said that CZM is not also providing them fund rather supervising us them closely.

Moyna Begum said she was leading a very awful life in acute hardship with her six-member family including physically challenged husband at a slum in Dhaka's Lalbag area before 2016.

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