The Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) setup Journalists’ Takaful Fund aimed at offering financial assistance to Bahraini and non-Bahraini members of the BJA in cases of illness, sacking, resignation, marrying, etc. in addition to loans without interest.
The BJA has injected an initial sum of BD 3000 into the BJA Takaful Fund. The BJA members both Bahraini and non-Bahrain is required to pay up a monthly subscription amount of BD 5 per month (BD 60 per annum).
In case a member wishes to withdraw, he/she can refund two-thirds of his/her paid subscriptions.
BJA Board of Directors member Ehab Ahmed who supervises the BJA Takaful Fund said that the total number of BJA members has now reached 400 members, adding that interested journalists may subscribe into the Fund in order to benefit from the assistance within 21 days from the date of subscribing.
According to Ahmed the BJA Takaful Fund will be managed by a 7-member panel (3 members from the BJA Board of Directors and 4 members to be elected shortly). The fund will be managed in accordance with strictly transparent financial controls and there are some ideas to invest its subscription moneys, Ahmed says.
The BJA President Moaness Al-Mardi invited media institutions to contribute into the BJA Takaful Fund as part of their responsibilities towards Bahraini journalists.
Al-Mardi told the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) that the BJA in addition to the BD3000 contribution will also contribute by 10 to 15 percent of donations it receives from supporters.