TEHRAN -- The Ambassador of Iran’s Mehrafarin Charity Society, actress Merila Zarei, arrived on Tuesday in the deprived village of Kotij, Sistan-Baluchestan Province, where she visited regional people and delivered donations to them.

This is the first seasonal journey arranged by the Mehrafarin Charity Society to help and distribute donations to needy families in the country.
Kotij with a population of 12000 is near Nikshahr in the southeast part of the province.
Children and adults warmly received the actress and Director of Mehrafarin Society, Fatemeh Daneshvar, at the Laleh Park of the village where Zarei expressed her pleasure in being among the patient people of the village.
“I hope this trip turns out to be a good opportunity to improve the education and health of children and adults and show concern for their welfare,” she said.
Artists and writers are the individuals who can narrate the pain and poverty of their citizens to those who are probably unaware of these facts, she remarked.
“We need to step forward for the mothers, sisters and brothers who will shape the future of this land. We are all Iranians and defend our country, and our duty in the future is to eradicate poverty,” Zarei stated.
Daneshvar also said that the charity society has been established with the help of people with no connection to the public sector and its major responsibility is to support needy mothers and children and provide for their education.
“Almost 50 children of this region are being supported by the society. We hope this would help their region to receive more attention and care by the others.
“We are also planning to increase our assistance by raising the budget based on the priorities in this region,” she added.
Head of Kotij Village Council Khaled Raissi, also present at the gathering, mentioned some of the problems of the people in the village.
“The village is home to several manganese and lime mines, but living conditions here are not good,” he said.
The people were later handed food aid and financial support by the charity society and several children were chosen for care and educational support.
Photo: The Ambassador of the Mehrafarin Charity Society actress Merila Zarei greets a girl from Kotij in Sistan-Baluchestan Province during her visit to the village on December 7, 2010. (Photo by Mehr)