Shekoofan is a project for a preschool and First grade primary school in Mahmoodabad, South of Tehran. This project covers the children`s families (mainly mothers) as well. Mahmoodabad is an industrial area in which families are employed in brick factories and stationed there. These families live in very poor conditions. The aim of this project is to provide fundamental quality education for the children of these working families. The Omid Foundation agreed to bear the expenses for building a preschool and first grade primary school, which is providing in the moment education to 111 children and 222 mothers and adult sisters, who are now learning to read and write, and most importantly how to take care of their children/family members. Immediate help was requested, so, In the autumn of 2014, we started an express program, the first step of which consisted of providing facilities to the classrooms. Right now 522 children and adults from Mahmoodabad and adjacent villages are receiving some medical and psychological services, job training, health care, consultation and nutrition. They are taught during two different shifts, which is covered by more than 10 full-time teachers and 6 substitute teachers. A couple of advisors (Iranian and Afghani) educated in child-psychology field assist them.
In addition, after so many refugees coming from Afganistan to Iran, Shekoofan has to extend to three shifts and providing more help.
A library was provided, and made accessible to the children as well as to their parents (mothers), in order to facilitate their access to knowledge and improve their lives quality. Classes on “How to read and How to tell stories” are held in weekly basis in the library while audio-visual facilities in the library helps them to learn reading and gain some knowledge to promote their self-confidence. Impacted by the earthquake in the western part of Iran (Kermanshah-Pole Dokhtar, Nov. 2017), the new project Mobile Kindergarten and Library was planned and with benefited support from “Children for a better world ”, has been implemented in the area. We believed that by expanding and supporting this project, we were responding to an urgent need in that region up to some extent.
In summer 2019 a new project has been activated in Mahmoodabad and supported by Omid foundation which is called “read with me” for mothers who are taking care of their first child. Due to the high inflation and the imposed sanctions, the poverty of people is much greater and many who could manage their lives before have now become needy themselves. Due to the outbreak of Covid 19, many have lost their jobs and have no income, so emergency aid had to be provided with basic foods.
Based on the urgent need, tents and rooms were set up for the temporary workers from Khorastan who work in the brick factories during the hot season and come with their whole families so that the children can be cared for nutritional, medical and other needs while their parents are at work.
These families of seasonal workers urgently needed help with health and hygiene items and an infrastructure to care for the worst cases. Due to the difficult economic situation, many families who had simple, mostly casual jobs have lost their income and are dependent on help.
OMID foundation supported these projects with 204,690.00 Euros.
Goals:
- Hiring more teachers to balance the teaching houses,
- Promoting the quality of education by providing technological facilities,
- Providing personal hygienic materials for the seasonal labor families.