Individual Social Responsibilities
Apart from profit motive, people do care for others as part of self actualization, social responsibilities and spiritual fulfillment. Charities run by individual donations and committed givers are strong evidence for this. MACCA also receives around Tk.15,00,000.00 per year from individual donors. However, with expansion of program and coverage and increasing visibility of MACCA, there is huge possibility that individual donations can be main funding source for MACCA. If 25% of the mosque goers in Bangladesh just donate Tk.100/- per year to MACCA's fund, a rough estimate suggests that MACCA could mobilize around 18 million US Dollars per year from individual donors!
Zakat, the Social Aid for Development
A rough estimate suggests that there is around 700 million US dollars equivalent of money due as zakat every year in Bangladesh , whereas only 10% of this money is realized. MACCA also receives and utilizes around Tk30,00,000.00 per year zakat money. Since the ownership of this zakat money lies with the ultra poor, finding efficient ways to realize and utilize zakat money can be an effective way to address inequality and poverty.
Corporate Social Responsibilities
Corporate sectors are now increasingly taking social responsibilities to enhance their image and to run ethical business. They look for matching opportunities where they provide support to achieve maximum impacts and credibility through multiplying effect and recognition of their support. So far MACCA has received support from private sector business houses. With its credibility, acceptance and public image MACCA can tap more of these corporate social responsibilities funding by developing matching programs.
Complimentary partnership for development
Most of the development programs are now looking for culturally appropriate and effective behavioral approach to address barriers and change harmful behavior and practices deep rooted in beliefs and culture. Inclusion of faith leaders has been proved as an effective way to achieve development goals. With its scholarly capacity, access to faith leaders and media, MACCA is now considered as one of the major players in development sector. MACCA is receiving invitations from the NGOs, government and UN bodies to take part and complement the development efforts by removing religious misconceptions and barriers and facilitating behavior change through faith advocates such as Imams and religious leaders. By developing a comprehensive curriculum addressing development agendas, barriers and misconceptions and by training the religious leaders, MACCA can develop a ready cadre of faith ambassadors to development under a complimentary partnership program for development.
Institutional Support
With its organizational strengths and access to communities and faith leaders, MACCA has received support from SDF/World Bank, FHI/USAID, Muslim Aid, UNICEF and UNAIDS. Currently the institutional funding totals around US$132,000 per year. MACCA has a potential to expand its programs and develop new programs to increase the portfolio of institutional donors.
Faith based Integrated Development Model
In Bangladesh there are around 250,000 mosques and a significant number of other faith institutions with around 270,000 faith leaders working at the faith institutions. These faith institutions have space, infrastructure, manpower, credibility, access to and influence over individuals and communities and other resources. But these huge resources are largely under-utilized and faith leaders' time and efficiency are not totally used. By developing and implementing a faith institution based development model MACCA can make effective use of these community resources to achieve development goals.
Interfaith Harmony and Campaign
Peace, security, tolerance and communal harmony are keys to development. But with rise of extremism and 'war on terrors', the world is no longer a safe place to live. Total cost of curbing terrorism is huge. There are direct costs for war. Economies and development agendas are affected. Individual and human rights are compromised. Image of religions are distorted. And global human security is threatened. This is leaving our next generation growing in paranoia and without any direction on what needs to be done. While political leaders often take immediate action without considering all issues and consequences, faith leaders of different religions are finding it as their important role to address a longer term solution to promote peace, tolerance, communal harmony and global human security to change the world into a better place to live. By taking stand against terrorism and with its moderate, non-political, non-extremist and interfaith approach MACCA has already earned the credibility to develop and launch such a campaign. Bangladesh, with its long standing image for moderate muslim majority country with tolerance and communal harmony and with the strength of already formed Council for Interfaith Harmony with faith leaders of different religions can take up the initiative to develop and launch a global campaign for Peace, tolerance and global human security. Such a campaign by faith leaders of different religions can rebuild the distorted image of religions and religious practitioners and give direction to our next generation to create a tolerant, responsible and safer world based on communal harmony, common goals of humanity and development.
