TEHRAN – Barekat Charity Foundation, affiliated with the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, will provide employment for 21,000 individuals residing in deprived areas of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

With the implementation of 7,000 job creation projects in Sistan-Baluchestan this year which began on March 21, some 21,000 jobs will be created in underprivileged areas of the province, Morteza Niazi, deputy head of Barekat Foundation for employment development said.

Out of 7,000 job plans, 1,650 have been put into operation and another 5,200 projects are in the process to be launched, he stated, adding that moreover, it has also planned to implement 300 family business projects (micro workshops) in deprived areas of the province.

He went on to say that 22 cities and 993 villages of Sistan-Baluchestan are covered by the employment creation activities of Barekat Foundation, YJC reported on Saturday.

To date, the foundation has created employment for 360,000 people.“By the end of last year (March 20), the Foundation has implemented 14,530 job creation projects in deprived areas of the province, which has provided business opportunities for more than 43,500 people.

Jobs created in Sistan-Baluchestan are mainly in the fields of livestock, aquaculture, clothing production, poultry, and technical services; This year, the Barekat Foundation is launching 70,000 new community-based projects, which will create more than 210,000 job opportunities for residents of in deprived and rural areas of the country,” he explained.

To date, the foundation has launched 120,000 community-based projects with a budget of 115 trillion rials (nearly $2.7 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) in deprived areas, which has created employment for 360,000 people.

According to Niazi, the number of villages covered by the Foundation has increased from 7,575 villages last year to 8,000 this year. The foundation is also active in 440 cities.

Recently, the Foundation announced to open up 9,300 jobs for persons with disabilities.

Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam was founded in 1989. In the Iranian calendar year, 1386 (March 2017-March 2018) Barekat Charity Foundation- the social arm of the organization- with the aim of promoting social justice was established.

Socio-economic empowerment of communities by encouraging entrepreneurship prioritizing breadwinner women, developing infrastructures such as water supply and power grids, building roads, constructing schools and increasing educational spaces, promoting health for all, granting non-repayable loans and insurance especially in less developed areas and regions most affected by 1980s war and natural disasters are of the priorities of the charity foundation.

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