Engraving the Goodness of Qurban for the Ex-East Timor Converts Community

Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – Uncovering the positive impact of Qurban across Indonesia is a rewarding journey for Human Initiative. One particular area that has captured the hearts of the organization is a neighborhood of converts, who are also ex-East Timor refugees, residing in Noelbaki Village, Central Kupang District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara.

Representatives from Human Initiative head office and branch offices recently visited Noelbaki Village, which is one of the beneficiary villages of the 2023 ‘Spread the Qurban’ program. During their visit, Ade Putri Maesaroh, General Manager of Organizational Development at Human Initiative, had the opportunity to engage with the local community and discovered a remarkable fact about religious tolerance in the area.

In a brief note, Ade shared that despite some families being non-Muslim, they coexisted with great tolerance. “The non-Muslim group has proposed the construction of a prayer room so that Muslim community members don’t have to travel far to reach the mosque,” he explained.

Reasons for Spreading Qurban to Noelbaki Village

Ustadz Zakaria Fernandes, Coordinator of ex-East Timor converts and a convert himself, shed light on the lives of converts in Noelbaki Village. He revealed that although the people in the refugee camp consumed rice and vegetables like everyone else, they rarely had the opportunity to eat meat. The occasion of Eid al-Adha holds special significance for all the converts in the village.

“With the current situation, it is already challenging for the refugees to afford one kilogram of rice, let alone one kilogram of meat. Prioritizing rice is more practical since the price of meat has exceeded IDR 100,000 per kilogram,” Ustadz Zakaria stated.

The First to Arrive from Jakarta

As a global humanitarian organization, Human Initiative is grateful for the trust donors have placed in them to distribute the benefits of qurban. Ustadz Zakaria’s words, however, further fueled Human Initiative’s enthusiasm to continue spreading goodness.

“Our village was blessed with the presence of Human Initiative volunteers, the first from Jakarta,” Ustadz Zakaria expressed.

Representing his community, Ustadz Zakaria also expressed gratitude for Noelbaki Village being selected as a beneficiary area for the 2023 Sebar Qurban program. “May Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaa grant us a long life so that we can meet again next year,” he concluded.

Join the Spread the Qurban 2023 program and extend the benefits of your qurban to remote areas of Indonesia and other countries. There is still time to fulfill your qurban intentions until Sunday, July 2, 2023. Collaborate with Human Initiative to fulfill your qurban through Solusipeduli.org/qurban.