Muis to give record $3.5 million of zakat to over 7,800 needy families
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) will be giving out a record amount of funds to low-income households in the coming two weeks, following strong support from the Muslim community in raising funds for the less fortunate.
The council said on Wednesday (Dec 22) that it will disburse about $3.5 million of zakat - or alms-giving - funds through its year-end disbursement exercise. This amount is about 18 per cent higher than the amount in 2020.
Significantly more low-income households - 7,862, compared with 6,407 last year - will benefit this year.
"This increase is made possible because of the strong support from the community through the zakat collection," said Muis.
More than $718,000 will be set aside for families with children aged 18 and below to cushion the cost of education.
Muis said that around 9,700 school-going children will benefit from this assistance, which is a 16 per cent increase compared with last year.
"Year-end household expenses such as accumulated bills, arrears, loans, and the preparation costs for the new school year can be a challenging and stressful period for our zakat beneficiaries, especially those with school-going children," said the council.
The year-end disbursement, which was started in 2012, is on top of the monthly zakat financial assistance that Muis' zakat beneficiaries receive.
The council gives out $1.3 million in financial aid to 5,000 low-income households every month.
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