NEWS

2021.12.24

The 39th AJI Frontier Seminar on “Islamic NGOs and Social Capital in Post-Disaster Indonesia: The Case of Dompet Dhuafa Charitable Organization in the Aftermath of the 2013 Gayo Earthquake”

On December 14, 2021, the 39th AJI Research Frontier Seminar took place online. Muhammad Riza NURDIN, a visiting researcher at Ritsumeikan Asia-Japan Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, gave a presentation entitled “Islamic NGOs and Social Capital in Post-Disaster Indonesia: The Case of Dompet Dhuafa Charitable Organization in the Aftermath of the 2013 Gayo Earthquake”.

Dr. Riza explained that Indonesia, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is a secular democratic state with a flourishing civil society. When disaster strikes, faith-based organizations (FBOs) are among the first to provide aid. In his research, Dr. Riza investigated the impact of FBO’s recovery programs on the affected communities.

Among these aid organizations, Dompet Dhuafa (Wallet for the Poor) is very effective in collecting and distributing voluntary and obligatory Islamic alms for disaster aid. Focusing on Jaluk village in Ketol subdistrict of Central Ache, a mainly coffee producing area, Dr. Riza explained how social capital in the form of vertical linking with the government and NGOs, bonding within social networks, and bridging between communities helped disaster hit villagers to build back and even improve their economic base with funding, planning and marketing assistance from Wallet for the Poor. He concluded that FBOs and social capital link and work well, leading to faster community recovery and enhanced resilience. Following his presentation there were many questions related to the social capital theory and how is it manifested in the context of Dompet Dhuafa organization, the differences between rural and urban cases, how funds are raised and distributed, and so on, for all of which Dr. Riza provided comprehensive answers.

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Dr. Riza delivering his presentation

Please visit the following link for previous AJI Frontier Seminars:
https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/research/aji/young_researcher/seminar/archive/