Rosaiyanti and her family are joined by TNB representatives of Projek Baiti Jannati during the handover of their new home.
A TOTAL of 241 families will celebrate the spirit of togetherness in homes of their own, thanks to the initiative of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).
Projek Baiti Jannati, a programme fully funded by the utility company’s zakat allocation, is designed to elevate the living conditions and standards of the disadvantaged.
Priority is given to single parents, senior citizens and the disabled who live in dilapidated houses that they cannot afford to repair.
To qualify, candidates must be eligible to receive zakat (asnaf) as set by the respective state Islamic councils.
Launched in 2007, the programme’s initial focus was to repair houses in order to meet a minimum standard, with basic requirements met.
Activities under the project intensified in 2014 when 301 homes were built, rewired or repaired for disadvantaged individuals and their families.
This year, TNB is set to build, rewire, repair and extend full settlement assistance to 241 households, including those at People’s Housing Project (PPR) units across peninsular Malaysia.
Recipients are selected by a diverse committee comprising TNB representatives, local authorities, state secretariats and state Islamic councils.
Rosaiyanti Junus, 49, was overwhelmed with joy when she saw her new home recently.
“It will be an incredible and memorable Aidilfitri. My children and I will spend it together in a beautiful home that is completely our own, comfortable and secure,” said the widow.
Rosaiyanti’s story is not uncommon. After her husband’s death in 2015, she and her four children had to live with relatives so that they could survive on a meagre monthly income of RM400 which Rosaiyanti earns as a rubber tapper.
The programme affords Rosaiyanti and her family not only a home of their own but also a sense of pride and peace of mind.
Another recipient is Siti Aishah Abdul Majid, 48, a single mother of six.
She earns RM600 a month as a cook at an eatery to support her family after losing their home in a fire in 2015.
TNB corporate affairs group corporate communications senior general manager Datuk Mohd Aminuddin Mohd Amin said what began in 2007 as a project to repair seven dilapidated houses for the suburban poor had grown by leaps and bounds.
“By 2013, we were collaborating with state Islamic councils and the number of houses we repaired increased to 33.
“In 2016, we worked with the local authorities and expanded the programme to include families living in PPRs
“This will be the second year we buy out public housing units, so that each Baiti Jannati recipient can own a unit,” he said.
A total of RM50,000 has been allocated for full settlement assistance of each home along with its rewiring and repairs, which brings the 2017 investment to RM6.1mil.
To date, 950 houses have been refurbished or fully settled under the programme.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/07/05/giving-241-families-a-decent-place-to-live-companys-annual-programme-to-raise-living-standards-of-ne/#gXZDcd1C6yYOsvYT.99
