BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Islamic Da’wah Centre has spent more than $1.9 million for construction of houses as part of assistance for underprivileged new converts in the country since 1993.

The centre’s records show a total of $1,943,240.81 had been spent to build 77 houses nationwide for the past 22 years. The amount, however, does not include the four houses approved for construction in Temburong and Belait for this year.

Four houses at a cost of $233,904 will be built for families in Kg Amo A, Kg Sibut and Kg Temada in Temburong and in Kg Lumut, Belait.

The housing programme is a joint project between the Islamic Da’wah Centre and the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Buildings and Maintenance Department and funded by the Islamic Religious Council through the Zakat Asnaf Muallaf Fund.

In Temburong, a total of 22 houses had been built under the project from the year 1993 to 2007.

Twenty of the houses were funded by the Islamic Da’wah Centre, while the remaining two were funded by the Zakat Asnaf Muallaf Fund.

The centre has conducted various donations throughout the years based on the needs of less fortunate new converts in the sultanate.

In addition to housing assistance, those who are less fortunate are also given basic necessities every month. Some were also provided with electric generators for their homes.

The Islamic Da’wah Centre also supports converts engaged in farming with machinery and fertilisers. The donations are to help them increase the economic output of their farms and alleviate their burden.

The department’s Conversion and Guidance Unit data also recorded 17,444 conversions from the year 1971 to 2014 nationwide.

The highest number of conversion was recorded in 2010 with 642 while the lowest was recorded in 1971 with 61.

The Brunei Times