T

he Social Affairs Ministry plans to provide scholarships to children of former terrorists or of people affected by terrorism.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has instructed the ministry to take care of every child affected by all kinds of social problems, including terrorism, Social Affairs Minister Idrus Marham said. Many families of terrorist convicts are currently shunned and discriminated against by their neighbors.

“The ministry has prepared aid for families of both the perpetrators and victims of terrorism,” he said on Saturday in Surabaya, East Java, as reported by Antara.

The scholarships for the children are being organized by the Family Hope Program, which is the ministry’s main program to help poverty-stricken families.

To be eligible for the subsidy, the families will need to meet stipulated requirements and the money can only be allocated for children’s education.

Idrus added that his ministry, in collaboration with other relevant ministries, would include the terrorism-affected families in other subsidy programs such as the free rice program (Rastra), Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) and Indonesia Health Card (KIS).

The Social Affairs Ministry was preparing both short-term and long-term empowerment programs to improve the welfare of families living in poverty, he said.