Building trust isn’t something that happens overnight. For Aris Efendy (46), the journey with Human Initiative (HI) in managing sacrificial animals has been going on for a decade, or eight years. Since 2018, Aris has been one of HI’s supported farmers entrusted with bringing in and caring for hundreds of cows to support the Spread Qurban program. Each year, the cows raised by Aris, originating from various areas in Central Maluku, are purchased by HI and distributed to poor villages during Eid al-Adha. This year, as Eid al-Adha 1446 H approaches on June 6, 2025, HI is preparing to distribute 450 cows to remote areas of Central Maluku.
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, the Humantrip HI entourage led by Vice President Bambang Suherman visited Aris’ colony farm in Hollo Village, Amahai District. They were accompanied by Program Head of Spread Qurban Abdul Mughni, Miss Indonesia Maluku Novita Everdina, influencer Salsabila Kholiq, traveler Dimas Ramadhan, and several journalists from Jakarta and Ambon. The journey to the farm was not easy. The group had to ride in an open-bed truck through narrow, muddy roads amidst plantations. However, all the hardship paid off upon arriving at the spacious, well-organized farm area with a peaceful atmosphere in the midst of the Maluku nature.
“This visit is to ensure that the sacrificial animals that will be distributed later are truly healthy, comply with Islamic law, and are of good quality,” said Bambang Suherman. Bambang emphasized that this year, HI aims to distribute 25.29 million sacrificial animals equivalent to goats or sheep to 25 provinces in Indonesia and nine countries such as Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, and Palestine.
The Spread Qurban program is HI’s effort to address the inequality in sacrificial animal distribution. In big cities like Depok, Bambang said, there is often a surplus of sacrificial meat, while in remote villages, many people have never even tasted sacrificial meat. The program seeks to bridge this gap and ensure that everyone, regardless of their location, can benefit from the spirit of Eid al-Adha.
