TEHRAN – Benevolent people across Iran donated one trillion rials (about $25 million) in alms during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year, began on March 21, 2017.

The amount shows an increase of 15 percent in comparison to the same period last year, an official with the state-run Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation in charge of collecting donations said on Tuesday.

Most of the sum was collected from Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, Isfahan and Mazandaran provinces, Mehr quoted Abolqasem Rastegar as saying.  

He said that 95 percent of the money was collected from charity boxes and the rest was given through e-payment and SMS methods.

“However, the foundation aims to promote online charity donation during this year so that the money can be collected for poor people in a minimum time,” he explained.

The fundraising is mostly used for providing livelihood, meeting medical costs, holding cultural programs, as well as housing and providing dowry for newly-wed couples, he added.

“We plan to provide houses for 14,000 homeless families who are under the coverage of the foundation over the course of three years,” he said.

SB/MG