According to the Public Relations and International Affairs of the State Welfare Organization of Iran, a meeting was held today focusing on volunteer recruitment methods and a neighborhood-centered approach, with a special emphasis on assisting the elderly and individuals with disabilities. The meeting was attended by Seyed Javad Hosseini, Head of the State Welfare Organization, along with several deputies and managers.
During this session, methods for assisting individuals with disabilities and the elderly, particularly lonely seniors in Tehran, were reviewed. This was done in cooperation with the Municipality, the University of Medical Sciences, and with the support of the social responsibility initiatives of the Ministries of Oil, Industry, and Mine.
8,000 Volunteers Accompanied the Welfare Organization During the War
Seyed Javad Hosseini, Head of the Welfare Organization, stated at the meeting: “We had 360,000 volunteers in the ‘Salam Mahaleh’ (Neighborhood Greeting) campaign, and 23,000 ‘Iran Hamdel’ (Sympathetic Iran) volunteers announced their cooperation with the Welfare Organization. We utilized at least 8,000 of them during the war. They were organized into groups such as the ‘Voice of Counselor 1480’, ‘Social Emergency 123’, ‘CBR groups’, ‘Moheb’ (Supporter), ‘Mental and Social Health Assistant’, and ‘Health Assistant for Female-Headed Households’.”
He added: “The capacity of 20,000 non-governmental centers under the umbrella of the Welfare Organization and 2,750 ‘Salam Mahaleh’ centers is also emphasized.”
The Head of the Welfare Organization explained: “In total, we are focusing on four groups. First, the CBR groups, which operate through one thousand institutions with 6,000 volunteers in villages and 760 volunteers in urban areas.”
He continued: “Second, the Moheb groups, or crisis support workers, are active in 653 bases with 980 active teams and 5,200 volunteers. During the war, 1,167 volunteers joined these groups, 226 of whom are counselors from the Ministry of Sports and Youth.”
Hosseini stated: “Third, the mental and social health assistant groups are active in 223 cities and 430 groups.”
The Head of the Welfare Organization announced: “Fourth, the health assistant groups for female-headed households, who advanced their activities during this period in 36 groups with 200 volunteers.”
He added: “CBR groups have so far trained 1,963 facilitators and have provided empowerment and resilience training to 43,000 families. They have visited 15,300 homes and produced 5,000 pieces of content, which has led to increased awareness and empowerment of individuals.”
Hosseini stated: “These groups have conducted at least 17,450 phone consultations, 9,300 in-person consultations, and provided psycho-social support to 2,522 individuals. They have also met the primary needs of 12,400 individuals with a value of 33 billion Toman and carried out 347 emergency evacuations and temporary shelter provisions for vulnerable individuals.”
He said: “They identified 429 individuals with disabilities who had suffered damages and provided rehabilitation services to 619 people.”
The Head of the Welfare Organization noted: “Financial support for returning home was provided to 108 individuals through CBR or community-based rehabilitation groups. Additionally, home care centers, numbering 492, provide services to 27,000 elderly individuals and those with severe and very severe disabilities.”
He concluded: “We can guide volunteer groups through these two methods to provide more services to these groups. In the area of the elderly in Tehran, we will specifically utilize the services of volunteers in coordination with the Deputy of Rehabilitation and the Secretariat for Elderly Affairs.”
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