Page 360 - Dimensi Baharu Zakat di Malaysia

© DIMENSI BAHARU ZAKAT DI MALAYSIA
ISBN 978-967-2959-04-5

Respondents with better education and business experiences
benefited from the loans, because they had the potential to increase
profit and were able to gradually repay loans. With their improved
incomes, they also could enhance their lives by fulfilling daily basic
needs. Most importantly, they could fulfill their own social needs
and children’s education. Of the seven economic empowerment
program respondents, five claimed that they were satisfied with the
micro-loans that they utilized for their businesses. Two respondents
stated that they were satisfied, because the interest free loans
allowed them to make a profit. Rumah Zakat spousal support
exerted an important effect on economic empowerment program
respondents businesses, either the wife or husband took
responsibility to manage the loans for making marketing a product.
One respondents of vocational education was more successful than
other respondents without spousal support. Therefore, compared to
individual efforts or group support, spousal support singificantly
promoted the growing of respondents businesses. Although,
information of Rumah Zakat has been available on the internet, the
typical respondents stated that learned about the program from
informal sources.
Rumah Zakat should use more effective ways to recruit potential
recipients, i.e increase staff, volunteers and tutors to go into more
ghettos to observe people who are poor and destitute with no homes,
cars, motorcycles and jobs but who may have competency to
manage loans. In turn, eliminate the practice of favoritism among
successive recipients. For example, more officers would prevent
recepients from referring only people who they knew and familial
relationship with Rumah Zakat programs rather than people who
were more in need.
Eduation strongly empowers respondents in developing their
business and can be dominant factor in helping poor families and
their children. On the one hand, education is helpful in teaching
skills to poop families for managing their lives. Education can
prepare children of poor families to become competitive in the
future job market. Rumah Zakat provided the interest free loans and
other infrastructure, but some recipients remained hesitant to run a

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