TEHRAN – Barekat Charity Foundation, affiliated to Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, will create 90,000 jobs for the people residing in rural areas during the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), an official with the foundation has said.

The foundation has developed 30,000 job plans which will result in creating 90,000 jobs in villages across the country, Hadi Johari stated, IRIB reported on Sunday.

Under the project, each manufacturing unit will be provided with low-interest loans amounting to 400 million rials (around $10,000), he announced.

He went on to note that last year over 30,000 jobs have been generated by supporting 10,000 businesses in rural areas.

$95m earmarked for creating jobs in East Azarbaijan

Ahad Hosseini, director general of labor and social welfare department of East Azarbaijan province, also said that a budget of 4 trillion rials (about $95 million) was allocated to open up job opportunities in the province.

A part of the budget has been so far spent to pilot job development plans in Azarshahr and Maragheh cities, he noted, adding, each plan will support 700 business units to create over 2,000 jobs.

So far, some 110 job plans have been approved to receive the facilitation loans and start their business, he concluded.

Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, also known as Setad-e Ejraiye Farman-e Hazrat-e Emam, 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 the communities by encouraging entrepreneurship prioritizing breadwinner women, developing infrastructure such as water supply schemes, power grid, and road building, 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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