By: Azman Zakaria
SERDANG, June 10: The Centre for Management of Waqf, Zakat and Endowment (WAZAN), Universiti Putra Malaysia has promptly launched seven initiatives to assist staff, students and the community as soon as the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced on March 18.
Director of the centre, Dr. Razali Othman, said about RM500,000 was distributed simultaneously through the initiative from March 20 to assist those who were financially affected by the MCO following the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to aid them in preparing for Hari Raya.
He said through the donation initiative, more than RM200,000 was raised in which the first collection was well planned, organised, and coordinated. The donation was then distributed to staff and outsiders.
He added that WAZAN implemented the Covid-19 Special Cash Assistance Initiative worth RM100,000 for staff at the UPM Serdang and Bintulu, Sarawak campuses.
The Covid-19 Special Non-Cash Assistance Initiative was also launched to provide aids in the form of dry food such as rice, flour, cookies, sugar and milk. This initiative focused more on staff affected by the MCO and students who were unable to return to their hometowns and were 'trapped' in their colleges.
According to Dr. Razali, the Emergency Assistance Initiative was given to staff who are single mothers with a monthly income less than RM4,000 and off-campus students with financial problems. The initiative was also given to students who are attending industrial training and facing difficulties paying rent because their parents could not work due to the MCO.
He said the Zakat Assistance Initiative was given to students to help them with their living expenses and tuition fees.
Exclusively for the month of Ramadan, he said WAZAN implemented the Ramadan e-distribution programme to replace the Ramadan e-ziarah programme following the MCO. A total of 123 impoverished and asnaf students from all over the country were given RM500 each. Two students received assistance for disaster relief and income loss.
He mentioned that WAZAN also donated food to UPM frontliners on Hari Raya. - UPM
