TEHRAN – Barekat Charity Foundation, affiliated with the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, has earmarked 353 trillion rials (nearly $8.3 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials) to eliminate deprivation across the country.

Since the establishment of the Foundation, some 216,000 projects implemented in the country, so far, over 200,000 of which have been completed, about 48,000 were development projects, Mohammad Torkamaneh, head of the Foundation said.

The projects have been the concern for the deprived, the issue of job creation is one of the major activities of the foundation, he stated, adding, after three years of study in the field of job creation, we implemented a model which is being run in 12,000 villages in the country and has contributed to 40 percent of job creation in rural areas.

The foundation has managed to create 480,000 jobs in 31 provinces and implement 160,000 community planning, he further stated.

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.

FB/MG