Ahok Launches App to Help People With Disabilities
Jakarta. Former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has launched an app called Jangkau, or Reach Out, to help people with disabilities.
"Jangkau is an app that can be used to provide targeted and transparent social assistance, and to encourage millennials to be more caring with others," the app description stated in the Google Play Store.
Basuki – who has asked to be called by his initials BTP instead of his old nickname Ahok since he was out of jail early this year – tweeted on Tuesday that the app is available now for Android users. It comes with a tutorial video on how to donate to people with disabilities. People who are in need of assistance can also use the app to request for donation.
The app has been downloaded over a thousand times on the Google Play Store since its release on Tuesday. It is still in development and may be unstable, but is updated frequently.
People can use the app to donate various items for people with disabilities, especially older ones, including wheelchairs, walking sticks, reading glasses and adult diapers.
Indonesians are praising Basuki's latest effort to contribute to society despite no longer holding any official position.
"Awesome Sir, I respect you, this breakthrough is proof that you don't need [an official] position to do good. I hope this app helps people in need," Twitter user @arry_sujaya replied to Basuki's tweet.
Basuki stated his plan to release the app in January. He claimed the idea for it popped into his mind while he was in jail serving his sentence for a blasphemy case.
Basuki – known for his hands-on approach when he was governor – said he still received a lot of requests for assistance from people, but thought that he could not do anything since he was not a government official anymore and that his political career had no future.
The app is managed by the BTP (Beri Tanpa Pamrih, or "Giving Back") Foundation, which has launched a campaign with the hashtag #SpreadKindness to promote the app on Twitter.
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