Bendigo Bank and Islamic finance and investment company MCCA have donated a $10,000 cheque to Bachar Houli Foundation, in a move that brings the partnership’s charitable donations to a total of $250,000 since 2018.
The Bachar Houli Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2013 by Richmond Football Club great and three-time premiership player Bachar Houli. The foundation aims to develop leaders in the Muslim community by harnessing the power of sport and social inclusion to create cross-community bridges.
The funding will be used for the foundation’s Female Leadership Program, which was designed to support and build confidence for Muslim women in sport, in the workplace, and in society.
“The generosity of Bendigo Bank and MCCA will help us continue to grow and expand our Female Leadership Program, helping more and more Australian Muslim girls across the country to build confidence in the workplace, at school, and in society,” Houli said.
“Last year, our programs had a touch point of over 5,000 participants, so we thank Bendigo Bank and MCCA for allowing us to continue to expand this reach and provide more young people the opportunity to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.”
Bendigo Bank started supplying MCCA with wholesale property funding in 2018. The relationship deepened with the establishment of the MCCA & BEN Charitable Fund, which directs five basis points in profit from the funding agreement into registered charities.
“Bendigo Bank is guided by our purpose of feeding into the prosperity of the community and MCCA are an important partner of ours,” said Ryan Finnimore, Bendigo Bank senior manager of portfolio funding. “They are a community-focused organisation with values that resonate with us. The development of this charitable function is evidence of our alignment and demonstrates what we can achieve when we work together.”
“We are proud to stand with our partner Bendigo Bank in support of this very worthwhile initiative,” said Mohammad Najjar, MCCA general manager. “Our donation will provide new pathways for young Australian Muslim women to take on leadership and become positive role models for their peers and communities.”
To date, the $250,000 in donations have been directed to a variety of causes across a number of communities, including Catherine House, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Brothers in Need, Operation Flinders, National Bushfire Disaster Appeal, and East African Women’s Association.
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