TEHRAN — In the current Iranian calendar year, starting from March 20, some 120 billion rials (nearly $3.43 million) will be spent on organizing labor children, deputy for social affairs at Iran’s Welfare Organization said.

Habibollah Masoudi-Farid told YJC that in addition to the aforesaid budget over the past year 15 centers were set up in 15 provinces as a part of a pilot plan and about 2,500 labor and street children are being taken care of in these day care centers.

Tehran, Khuzestan and Alborz provinces are among the cities the pilot plan is ongoing, Masoudi-Farid said, adding, we are about to increase the number of such centers in Tehran and other metropolises as there are more vulnerable children in these cities.

Such centers, he noted, serve one hot meal to the children, teach them how to read and write in addition to life skills and methods of maintaining a healthy parent-child relationship.

All the services offered in these centers are free of charge and the whole process of recognizing and organizing the labor and street children are done by NGOs and non-governmental associations, he said.

MQ