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The Muslimin Trust Fund Association
(MTFA) was set up on 25 June 1904 at a time when
there was no national body to look after the welfare of the
poor and underprivileged Muslims as well as Muslim orphans
in the then colony of Singapore. The task and challenge was
taken up by seven gentlemen who set up a public company limited
by guarantee, known as the Muslimin Trust Fund Association
(MTFA). These gentlemen are our founding fathers. They are
Messrs. Mohamed Alsagoff, Abdulcader Alsagoff, Ahmad M.S.
Angullia, Mahboob bin Fazal, M. Mohamed, Mohamed Idid and
Hadjee Mohamed Hakim. It should also be noted that MTFA is
the oldest active charitable Muslim organisation in Singapore
today.
Since its inception, MTFA has helped to ease
the burden of countless number of people of all ages by providing
financial aid, educational awards and free burial services,
among others. Revenue from the rental of MTFA's various properties
and donations from many quarters have been channelled towards
the needs of the underprivileged.
Perhaps, MTFA's most notable contribution
to the Muslim community is through the creation of the Darul
Ihsan orphanages for boys and girls. MTFA operates two orphanages
to care and provide for Muslim orphans, seeing to their daily
material and spiritual needs and their educational well-being.
These are Darul Ihsan Orphanage (Boys) at 5 Mattar Road, Singapore
387713 and Darul Ihsan Orphanage (Girls) at 23 Wan Tho Avenue,
Singapore 347552.
Apart from providing for the well-being of
the orphans residing at our two orphanages. MTFA also disburses
large sums of monies annually to hundreds of orphans who do
not reside at the two orphanages but are taken care of by
their mothers or guardians at their respective homes.
Funds are also set aside to be disbursed
annually to several religious schools, most notably the Alsagoff
Arab School which our founding fathers made special mention
of.
MTFA also provides a burial service which
takes care of the burial of Muslims who have passed away in
Singapore and whose bodies are left unclaimed or who are without
next-of-kin in Singapore or whose next-of-kin are unable to
pay for the burial rites.
In conclusion, MTFA exists to serve the Muslim
community of Singapore in accordance with the wishes of our
founding fathers and it has come a long way since its founding
more than a hundred years ago.
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