Sadaqah and Zakat Programs
Zakat Program Overview
The Brighter Futures Zakāt, Ṣadaqah al-Fiṭr, and Fidya Programs currently operates in five countries – Togo, Malawi, Chad, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. To ensure the integrity of our programs and assure their conformity to the guidelines stipulated by the Sharī’a, the collection of funds and distribution is overseen by scholars.
Brighter Futures and its partners ensure that the distribution of funds is used for only supporting individuals falling into the categories specified by Sharī’a, and as such, none of the funds are used for funding construction projects or overhead costs.
We hope to continue to support these communities by taking a more holistic approach to creating transformational change.
This year, make your Zakat go further by helping support these communities and make a lasting impact on their lives.
Zakat Initiatives
Based on feedback from our community, donors were looking for more specific ways to bring about impact while discharging their Zakat. In response, Brighter Futures initiated the following programs, all of which are Zakat-eligible and conform to our Zakat Policy.
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The Teacher Support initiative by aims to support educators in impoverished countries where teachers often receive minimal or no compensation. This program is crucial because many teachers, especially those from madrasas, work with minimal salaries or even without salaries altogether, leading to a talent drain as they seek better-paying opportunities abroad or in different fields. This not only deprives their home countries of valuable educational resources, but it also erodes the Islamic educational infrastructure. Our initiative currently supports 27 teachers across Sierra Leone, Togo, Chad, and Zambia, ensuring they can continue this invaluable work in their local communities.
Join us in this mission to empower educators and preserve the rich tapestry of Islamic education in these communities.
Learn more and view the sponsorship amounts on the Teacher Support page.
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We believe in creating sustainable change, which is why we're proud to introduce our Economic Empowerment Program. Designed in response to our donors' wish for their Zakat to have a more transformative impact, this initiative provides income-generating resources to empower individuals and their families toward financial independence.
In the past, these resources have included sewing kits, motorcycle rickshaws, and barbershop supplies where tamlik (or unconditional transfer of ownership) occurs through the in-kind donation given to the recipient.
We uphold the widely-accepted view that zakat can also be distributed in-kind, provided that tamlik takes place. (Fatawa Darul Uloom Zakariyya, Ahsan al-Fatawa).
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The Orphan Sponsorship initiative at Brighter Futures Foundation focuses on the holistic development of 26 boys at the Noor House Orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. These boys, coming from diverse and challenging backgrounds including refugees and those with incapacitated parents, receive both secular and Islamic education under this program. The sponsorship aims to cover their tuition and foster their growth in a nurturing environment.
Join us in shaping brighter futures for these young minds at Noor House. Your donation can light up paths for these deserving boys, offering them the education and care they need to thrive.
In the Orphan Sponsorship program, Zakat may be given to and tamlīk may occur:
Directly with the orphan
To an extended family member (an uncle, grandparent, etc.)
To a guardian who acts as a wakīl (representative/agent) for the orphan.
Based on the situation of the orphan - for instance, if they are young, lack any extended family members, family members have difficult situations, etc. - the family members enrolling the child in Noor House will sometimes make one of the members of the orphanage their wakīl and guardian. In this case, tamlīk will occur with the wakīl of the orphan
Learn more and view the sponsorship amounts on the Noor House page.
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Despite the above programs, we cannot underscore the importance of basic food and financial support to deserving recipients. Our General Relief Program provides eligible recipients with either food baskets or cash stipends, helping them to maintain a basic standard of living.
Our partner organizations maintain lists of deserving individuals, and they ensure these people meet the criteria of being a recipient of Zakat.
