The program has various development components such as health, sanitation, education, income generation, capacity building, and leadership building etc. Resourceful community people contribute to financial support of the project in the form of zakat. Apart from individual zakat money, the Zakat Board of the GoB also supports the project. In all interventions community ownership is ensured. Participation in the program is family based and gender equity is strictly maintained. The vision of the project is to solve the community problems through community leadership and preferably through community resources. The major tasks of MACCA under the project are to enhance the capacity of the Hasanah group members, link them up with existing service delivery institutions, and mobilize community resources etc.

When the whole world is fighting against the deadly threat of HIV, and it has been a felt need and subsequently a proven fact that the faith leaders can play effective role in preventing HIV. MACCA successfully engages the faith leaders in curbing HIV invasion in the country. MACCA, in partnership with Family Health International (FHI) - a partner of USAID, has been working for the last five years to promote the awareness of the community people about HIV/AIDS. The project primarily involves Imams (muslim religious leaders) but other failth leaders are also invited to some events, viz, TV talk shows and advocacy campaigns.  Under this project, MACCA organizes Training for Faith Leaders, Talk Shows on TV channel, Interfaith Dialogue/Seminar etc. In 2009, more than 700 Imams have been trained and 2 million people have been reached through Friday sermon. Table 5 furnishes summarized information from the 2009 activities.

Leaders of Influence (LOI) program is an initiative of USAID and The Asia Foundation. Through this program USAID/Bangladesh seeks to support and expand USAID’S current program by engaging and exposing leaders of influence such as lawyers, religious leaders, interfaith leaders, Imam & Khatibs, mosque committee members, youth leaders etc. to modern practices of development and democracy with the overall objective of promoting values of tolerance, diversity, communal harmony, peace and understanding in Bangladesh society. Masjid Council for Community Advancement (MACCA) works with the Foundation to organize and conduct orientation for the interfaith leaders and the mosque committee members across the country. In 2009 Masjid Council carried out a two-fold job: (i) Organizing Interfaith orientation programs; and (ii) Organizing Orientation sessions for the mosque committee members.

Earlier in 2007 and 2008  Masjid Council  developed sermon guide comprising religious references blended with scientific information and developed a cadre of 200 leading imams as master trainers, who in turn, provided training to about 19,000 general imams in 40 WASH districts. These Imams delivered the WASH sermon in Friday congregations. In 2009 Masjid council monitored the quality of sermon delivery. The WASH program itself ensures access to sanitation services to 17.6 million people, hygiene education to 37.5 million people and safe water services to 8.5 million people to check incidence of morbidity and mortality in the rural areas. Like Masjid Council’s other development programs, viz, HIV prevention, Leaders of Influence (LOI), this program is another example where social mobilization utilizing faith channels has been proved to be effective.

Considering the potential danger of various types of flues, UNICEF and Masjid Council for Community Advancement (MACCA) developed a partnership agreement to undertake a pilot project on prevention of flu through creating awareness by Muslim religious leaders among the people of the Kurigram district. The project lasted from July to December 2009. The goal of the project is to reduce the risk of all sorts of flues for the people of Kurigram district through awareness campaigning. Specific objectives are: 

1. To disseminate basic knowledge on flues among the target people
2. To provide them with standard personal hygiene knowledge and skills   
3. To make people confident that flues can be prevented if some primary precautionary measures are taken

The socio-economic reality of the country sometimes compels some of the guardians of the rural areas not to send their wards to school. Considering the need for a future educated vanguard and to support the MDG efforts of the government Masjid Council initiated a project for the youngsters of 6-10 years who either could not start attending school or have been dropped out at early stages. The learners are provided with formal education texts such as Bengali, English and Math. In order to promote the morality of the learners they are also given some religious teachings. The duration of the course is three years. The Imams act as the teachers of the centers and local mosques have been used as learning centres.  The project is supported by the Zakat Board of the Ministry of Religious Affairs,GoB, and donations from different individuals. Upon completion of this theree-year course, the learners join standard III of mainstream education system.

Masjid Council undertook a project titled, “Skill Development and Self Employment Program for the Rural Women” at Char Ajodhya (Teledangi) village of Char Bhadrashan Thana under Faridpur district with a view to improving skills of the women of the project area and providing them with the opportunity of income generation. The project is being implemented by Nobonita Unnayan Sangshtha (NUS). NUS assists its beneficiaries towards improvement of the quality of living status providing education, primary healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, handicrafts, fish culture, women and children rights and income generation programs with a comprehensive approach.

MACCA provides financial and technical support while NUS is responsible for implementation of the project.  The project designed and organized 7 categories of training for the women. A total of 175 women attended the following training courses in 9 batches. Table 9 summarizes the training courses offered.

The United Nations considers universal access to clean water a basic human right, and an essential step towards improving living standards worldwide. Water-poor communities are typically economically poor as well, their residents trapped in an ongoing cycle of poverty. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), distribution systems should make drinking water available so that people do not need to travel more than one kilometer from the place where they will use the water.

Masjid Council initiated the project in 2005 at Darogram village with partial support from the World Bank (through Social Development Foundation)

Under Children welfare program Masjid Council runs two centres for the abundoned children. The program provides shelter, education, health care service and other necessary opportunities to the abandoned children to make them grow as good human beings with two fundamental objectives: (i) saving human lives, and (ii) helping the abandoned children to become worthy citizens. Abandoned children ranging from new-born to 15 years of old are recruited through various channels comprising individual and organizational contact, media report and advertisement in electronic media from across the country irrespective of their color, cast and creed - be they are of normal appearance, physically challenged or mentally retarded. The children are provided with balanced food under direct supervision of an internationally acclaimed dietician. A cadre of highly motivated full-time substitute mothers take care of the children so their emotional requirement is met. 

The rich-poor gap in the country is alarmingly increasing day by day. Coupled with this the price of essentials is increasing. As a result the poor people can hardly consult with a physician. Statistics suggest that in 2009 45% of the country’s population lived below the poverty line. Therefore, it can be easily deducted that a vast majority of people cannot afford to consult with registered doctors.

MACCA provides free treatment and medication to insolvent people. Started in 2000, one clinic has been operating once a week (generally on Friday). About 40 patients receive this service each week. In late 2009 Masjid Council started another clinic. In 2009 1380 people were provided with treatment and medicine through its Free Friday clinics in Uttara, Tongi, Chartilli-Partilli and Chandirchar. Following table summarizes that number of sessions held and patients treated in those sessions.

MACCA has a plan to launch a scholarship program to provide educational opportunities for the meritorious but needy young Muslim students to pursue their higher studies in abroad under a university and to train them in specific fields in order to improve their socio-economic conditions, preserve their cultural and religious identities and make a meaningful contribution to the development of the Muslim Ummah. At present the program is in rudimentary stage and provides modest financial support to some students for their in-country education.

MACCA wishes to contribute to the development of the human potential of the Muslim communities. MACCA also wishes the young Muslim professionals to be ready to dedicate themselves to their communities and countries. This is not possible without the motivation gained by proper understanding of, and commitment to Islam in all aspects of their lives. Therefore, MACCA extends necessary guidance and counseling to them. MACCA also expects its students to play a leading role in assisting the development of their communities. Therefore, MACCA expects them to be good Muslims and good professionals at the same time.

In 2009 MACCA provided financial support to five students of higher secondary and tertiary level.  

Being a poor country we often see some apparently helpless people around us. Some of them cannot even seek financial assistance from others. This may be due to basic and inharent ego for being a human being. Other instances include some deserving people e.g., cannot arrange wedding of their daughters, victim of natural calamity, e.g., displaced from river erosion etc.

Since Masjid Council is dedicated to working with challenged communities to overcome their vulnerability and sufferings. Fostering the core values of Islam by the core of our hearts we strive for creating a society free from poverty and inequality. As in the past years, Masjid Council organized Quarbani-meat distribution program in 2009 among the people who are not in a position to buy meat from the market and, therefore, can rarely enjoy the taste of meat in their daily lives. Qurbani meat was distributed among 250 deserving families in Manikganj, and Tongi and outskirts of Dhaka city.

Masjid Council played leading role in forming Council for Interfaith Harmony, Bangladesh (CIH, BD) - an interfaith organization encompassing Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism, established to promoting humane and moral values in the society. CIH,BD organizes national level advocacy and campaign programs involving leaders of four major faiths in the country. Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, MACCA Chairman is the founder Secretary General of CIH,BD.

Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country with a longstanding reputation for tolerance and communal harmony. However, this reputation is sometimes undermined by reports of extremism, terrorism and distorted interpretations in the name of Islam. Such misleading interpretations not only give rise to terrorism, but it also puts the image of Islam as a peaceful and tolerant religion under question. While state and political leaders need to take action against terrorism, faith leaders are finding it their responsibility to address a longer-term solution to terrorism by promoting correct interpretation of Islam as a peaceful and tolerant religion and by building a national consensus among Islamic scholars about Islam’s position on extremism and terrorism.

A rough estimate suggests that there are about 500,000 mosques in Bangladesh with about 500,000 Imams. These leaders can play significant roles both locally and nationally to address terrorism, peace, and human security. By involving religious leaders, Masjid Council successfully launched a nation-wide anti terrorist campaign right after the sensational 63-district bombing in August 2005. As part of that campaign MACCA printed and distributed 10,00,000 posters; organized delivery of 50,000 speeches at key mosques and utilized national TV (BTV) to broadcast speech against terrorism by prominent faith leaders.

As part of its long term campaign and advocacy program, MACCA has planned to further build on the nation-wide anti-terrorism campaign to draw a national consensus among Muslim scholars and religious leaders against terrorism.

Masjid Council chairman provided support, throughout 2009, to Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), by actively taking part in series of campaigning sessions on antiterrorism.

MACCA publishes ‘Monthly Jiggasha’ - a thoughtful Islamic magazine edited by eminent Islamic scholar and media personality Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, MACCA chairman. The magazine contains various contemporary Islamic issues like:

• Elm (Islamic knowledge)
• Haram & halal
• Salat, its principles and guidelines
• Family and marriage
• Issue-based articles; e.g., Shab-e-Qdr, Eid, hazz etc.
• Human rights, women rights and status
• Topics on contemporary national issues of importance; from Islamic point of view
• Dr. Zakir Naik’s views and explanations on various issues and so on.

Since Masjid Council envisions an egalitarian society where there will be no injustice, the organization is really keen to establish rule of law, ensure dignity and honor for every human being.  

Masjid Council extends legal support through its ‘legal support wing’ to the people who are helpless, such as, helpless women, people in prison without trial and people who are deprived of human rights. Masjid Council started its legal support wing in June 2009.

Legal support through registered lawyers is extended to: 

• the ill-fated persons who have been in prison for long, but there is no specific charge against them;
• the oppressed ones and victims of injustice and those who are deprived of human rights;
• mitigate instability in families through providing family-counseling;
• establish women right in the society in the light of Islam;
• to build awareness among the general mass through media campaign (both print and electronic) for elimination of all forms of child labor form the society.