Earthquake Victims

Immediately after west Kermanshah earthquake on 12^th of November, Mehregan organized a crisis committee to help the victims of this horrible event. In the first months, the emergency team worked 24 hours a day to distribute the aids with the help of local people and managed to deliver more than 1000 vehicles of goods and basic needs to the victims. We are still trying to identify short, medium and long-term needs of these people and planning to do infrastructural work to help reduce poverty and other problems in this region. Even after one year of the earthquake, Mehregan camps are operating in these areas and assisting people. We have an account number for earthquake relief donation and by continuous presence in the area and identifying the basic needs, we try to support these people.

Some of the main activities in earthquake-hit areas include:

1. Children’s camps and kindergartens in Dasht-e Zahab Rural District

2. Tree planting and making with trees for children

3. Scholarship for talented children

4. Providing school supplies and sporting goods for children in deprived areas

5. Strengthening rural libraries

6. Building schools with support of the sponsors

7. Teaching widows in remote villages

8. Job creation and empowerment of heads of households

9. Cooperation with active groups in different regions

10. Designing and building rural houses in different regions

11. Consultation, cooperation and participating in reconstruction of villages on the basis of sustainable development model

Happy Nowruz Cards

This project began in February 2010 and has been expanding over the past nine years with continuous follow-ups and connections with companies. This plan is based on making Nowruz gifts more simple and using resources to help deprived families and children on the eve of the new year. Many well-known companies has so far participated in this program. They give all or part of their annual advertisement cost to Mehregan and the institute, with the help of expert graphic designers, designs and prints Nowruz greeting cards with the logos of the companies on back and printed in large numbers for them to have simple advertising gifts for their friends and relatives in New Year.

In addition to eliminating forced and compulsory donations to companies and preventing waste of resources, the program has managed to organize the amounts collected and, by integrating them, will meet the needs of many families on the brink of the New Year. It also reminds people to help each other and the institute is also introduced to others.

Money Box

One way to collect donations is to use money boxes. After obtaining necessary permissions from the competent authorities, Mehregan designed money boxes in four sizes which are available for free. One of the main goals of this project is to promote the culture of “helping each other”, especially among children. Many kindergartens and private schools have participated in this project. Money boxes are available at the institute’s office and can also be posted to applicants home or work place and when the boxes are full, our team will go and collect them as soon as they are called. The amount of money for each box is registered and recorded, with the name of its donor, in the institute’s office.

Recycling and waste sorting

This project has been designed and developed to teach the children about the environment and the reuse of recycled materials to reduce waste. Cooperation of Kermanshah Recycling and Production of Organic Materials Company, Municipality, Department of Education, and Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults can help to make the project more effective and successful. In this program, with the help of teachers, we try to teach children, from the very young ages, about sorting and reduction of waste and protection of green spaces in order to make a better world for them by preserving national resources and reducing costs. Production of educational content and holding workshops and programs such as theaters, conferences and competitions in schools or neighborhoods are some parts of this plan. This project can be started and expanded by implementation in cultural and communication centers such as Neighborhood Houses, Institutes for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, and other public places. Kermanshah, thanks to Ms. Hayedeh Shirzadi, is the first city in Iran to have a waste disposal system and the activities that have been carried out in this field have already given us a great opportunity to expand our plans. Once stablished, this plan can be implemented in other cities as well.

Protecting the Environment

Protecting the environment is one of the main concerns of Mehregan and the institute has designed and implemented some programs to promote the culture of respecting the environment. Some of the activities in this project are: participating in environmental cleanup programs such as Green Thursdays, cooperating with Kermanshah Recycling Company, holding educational courses for children and distributing brochures, participating in related exhibitions and one of the most important measures is producing and distributing fabric bags to be replaced with plastic ones. For the design of these fabric bags, we have tried to use endangered plants and animals of the country, especially Zagros region, in order to introduce them to the people and inform them about the danger of their extinction. The proceeds from the sale of these products are spent on expanding environmental programs and for the children. Mehregan members use every opportunity to inform people about the environmental situation and try to encourage environmental protection activities among the children.

Oral Health

Oral health care and dental services started in February 2017 after a dental unit and equipment was purchased and placed in a dental clinic. In this project, which is supported by professors and dental universities of the country, all the children are provided with required education on oral and dental hygiene. Oral and dental care packages including toothbrush, toothpaste and floss along with educational brochures are also distributed among children and their families. The children’s teeth are examined and receive Fluoride Preventive Treatment after examination and reviewing medical records, and, if necessary, will be treated according to the priorities considered. We have negotiated with trusted dentists and specialists in oral medicine and encouraged them to cooperate with our institute. We hope to expand this program with the greater support of dental community.

Mehregan is trying to set up its second center in earthquake-stricken areas.

Child and Family Health Services Program

In this program, we try to lead children and their families towards a healthy life by training in addition to reducing the high cost of healthcare. With the support of doctors and practitioners, the children are examined physically and mentally and if necessary they are introduced to centers to be treated. We also try to improve the health and nutrition status of children and families by helping them undergo check-ups and medical tests. This is a continuous program that is carried out along with creating a database and analyzing the gathered data. To fully implement and continue this program, we need the cooperation of specialists and support and generosity of donors to cover the costs.

The health plan includes diagnosis of physical, mental, and nutritional disorders and is carried out in cooperation with the Provincial Government, Governorate, the University of Medical Sciences, the Healthcare Network, hospitals, clinics and related institutions.

Distribution of clothes and household appliances

Collection of clothes, household appliances, toys, tools and other things and distributing among deprived families, according to their requirements, is one of the tasks of the institute. Our executive team carries out this activity continuously using database of our clients and their needs. To do this, every year we launch some campaigns, using social media to announce it, for collecting warm clothes, hygiene items and household appliances. Donors can take the things to the institute themselves or inform the executive team where they can collect the things.

Distribution of food

This is a daily program and supporters can donate food or dry provisions or even an amount of money to the institute. The institute distributes the donated food to deprived families according to the available database or if any special aid is needed (or requested by donors) for a number of families the distribution can be carried out for a particular group or families. This program is aimed at improving the culture of distributing votive food among real poor people. The institute also prepares packages of food and groceries for families on a monthly basis and tries to include various healthy food to distribute among them. We also try to make them aware of the nutritional value and properties of foods to help the children get healthier and stronger. A number of restaurants regularly and periodically donate warm food to the families or deliver the remaining untouched food to the institute. One of the main cultural programs of the institute is simultaneous distribution of food and books that started in 2018. In Mehregan, we encourage the donors to prepare food and required things for our clients and we are always ready to fulfill their benevolent intentions.

Equipping Rural Libraries

To improve knowledge and wisdom among children and adolescents, we try to encourage book-reading habit among them by providing minimum facilities. In order to do this, we ask the supporters to collect books and cash assistance and, with the help of specialists and active institutes, a list of suitable books for different age groups is prepared and small libraries are supplied for deprived schools. Mehregan Institute is also planning to equip libraries of 200 schools in the next two years and has managed to set up 25 school libraries. We also try to get the support of Directorate General of Libraries, Department of Education, Department of Culture and other organizations and social activists to implement this program. This plan is carried out as short, medium and long term programs and includes reading, storytelling, and other cultural activities. We do our best to develop and  expand this culture in the society with the help of teachers and specialists and especially local people.

Job Creation and Empowerment

This plan is designed to empower the heads of families, especially women, to support their livelihoods and self-sufficiency. The plan is carried out in two sections: 1) periodical training and 2) supply of required equipment of the workshops.

More than 300 women have so far been taken part in training courses such as handicrafts, carpet weaving, tailoring, embroidery, etc. In this regard, a memorandum has been concluded with Kermanshah Governorate to provide the possibility for development of the project in other cities and the issuance of educational certificates and the use of government resources and facilities for the students.

More than 200 workshops have also been set up for professional workers. The required equipment is lent or donated to skillful applicants.

Workshops in the field of tailoring, carpet weaving, making traditional instrument, carpentry, handicrafts, packaging, knitting, embroidery, etc. are currently working and the institute is ready to support people with professional skills to make their own small domestic workshops and help them to get self-sufficient. This is a continuing and expanding program that tries to identify capable people in deprived regions and introduce them to the labor market.

Equipping and Repairing Schools

In order to improve the quality of education and training in deprived rural areas, all the shortages and deficiencies in schools are checked and the required supplies such as educational aids, sporting goods, books… are prepared with the help of sponsors and Organization for Development, Renovation and Equipping Schools. This program is carried out with very careful and constant control of the institute and its sponsors and aims to provide the students with appropriate and fair access to education and training facilities. To reach this goal, the process of equipping and making schools more smart is in progress. We also have managed to repair three girls' schools on the outskirts of Kermanshah and this process will continue in more deprived areas with the help of our sponsors.

Building Schools

On the eve of the 8^th anniversary of founding of Mehregan institute and based on the main objectives for the support and education of children and backed by the indisputable and continuous support of the sponsors and following their suggestion, we started to build educational spaces for children, especially in remote deprived areas and after visiting and studying these regions, in 2017 we made a contract with Organization for Development, Renovation and Equipping Schools and started to equip the schools. This contract includes the construction of a two-class school with a total area of 150 square meters and a total area of 105 square meters of net space in Sefid Chogha, in Sarab Niloufar village, that was completed in January 2018. The school has been constructed with high quality materials and our consultants are now studying some other villages to see if any schools are needed to be built or equipped there.

Mehregan hopes to take further and more effective steps by the support of its sponsors and tries to provide grounds for further growth of children and development of their talents to help making a society a place for more thoughtful and wise people.

Holding birthday parties

This project is aimed at making children happy and confident and designed to create a sense of friendship, affection and respect among them on their birthday. Cake, candles, gifts, food and all the birthday things are provided and taken to the child’s home surprisingly to make him/her happy. If birthday party is a great wish for the child, and if we can afford it, we try to hold a big and special party in a big hall. In this program, we give priority to the most deprived children and those who have no parents and in order to reduce costs we ask the sponsors and suppliers to provide the supplies. We hope that by holding such ceremonies a pat of these children’s needs are met.

Happy School-Year Project

At the beginning of each school year, Mehregan distributes clothes and school supplies among the deprived children with the help of sponsors. First, the children are divided into different age groups and then all the needed supplies are bought from primary manufacturers and suppliers at an affordable price and are distributed among the children. This plan also includes other deprived children who are not directly supported by the institute and is done every year, before the start of school year, and carried out throughout the year. In 2018, Mehregan has distributed bags and school supplies for more than 1,400 students.

Mehregan Institute has been able to provide and distribute over 5000 bags and school supplies for the deprived children.

Volunteer Students Project

This program is designed to encourage children to take part in volunteer activities and use their potential power to help other people. The target group in this project is children and teenagers between 7 and 17 years old. This program is carried out with the help of Department of Education, Provincial Government, and other related organizations. Encouraging volunteer activities, participating in various social programs, acquiring knowledge and experience and getting acquainted with different jobs are the primary objectives of this project which is implemented with designed software and hardware tools. This program is modeled after similar plans in advanced countries and is carried out by young and talented forces and is designed not only to encourage people to observe the rules but also to decrease social work costs and introduce different social activities and life skills to children. The children, even at very young ages, are introduced with social and charity services and are listed in a volunteers’ database and are rated according to a comprehensive rating system which can help them throughout the life.

Teachers’ Cooperation Project

Undoubtedly, finding deprived children is one of the most important and most difficult tasks of Mehregan Institute. Considering the fact that the deprived children live mostly in city outskirts and rural areas, we began to visit the schools in these regions and after negotiating with the principals and teachers and explaining about the goals and objectives of our institute, we tried to identify target group of students and examine their conditions. Our hardworking human network, who are dealing with daily problems of these children, helps us to make the right decisions. We have tried to meet some of the needs of these children through schools and trusted teachers. Implementation of support programs and educational assistance of Mehregan institute and the accomplishment of some projects related to children can be better done with the assistance of teachers who are one of the best and most reliable groups.

Educational and training programs

In order to meet the initial goals of the institute, a number of educational and cultural programs are designed to promote the children’s abilities and potentials according to their interests. In these programs, children are registered in different art, sports and cultural classes for free and, with the support of their sponsors, educators and the institute, they can enhance their abilities and knowledge. This program lasts throughout the year and reaches its maximum capacity in the summer with the name of ‘leisure time’. The institute intends to use trained volunteers to accompany and guide the clients and to use the hidden capacities of the society properly. We also intend to provide training courses for educators and those who work with children and invite teachers and child and family specialists. Organizing various life skills and empowerment courses for children and mothers and co-operation with Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, schools, sports complexes, cultural centers, etc. are also on the agenda and is intended to be expanded by the support of sponsors.

Children’s Scholarship and Album

In this project, the children who have special needs, talents or abilities are specifically supported with the help of our supportive colleagues. A summary of these children’s family, physical, mental and educational conditions is prepared in an album with their first name, so that anyone who is willing to support these children can choose among them. The sponsors’ support is carried out indirectly and there is no relationship with the children. The institute is obliged to prepare a report about the conditions of the child and his/her family every six months. Mehregan started this project since 2017 and is hopeful to attract the attention and support of those who are interested in helping children, especially the ones with good talent and ability.