According to the Public Relations and International Affairs Office of the State Welfare Organization, the initiative was discussed during the Second Specialized Meeting on the Time Bank, attended by officials and experts at the Welfare Organization.
Time as a Unit of Exchange
Under the model being designed by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare in collaboration with the State Welfare Organization, time will serve as the unit of exchange between service providers and recipients.
The initiative is mandated under Article 31 of Iran’s Seventh Development Plan, which requires the ministry to establish a Time Bank. While similar models have been implemented in several countries worldwide, Iran plans to adapt the system by relying on local community networks, volunteers, and neighborhood-based participation.
Unlike conventional banks that hold financial assets, the primary capital in a Time Bank is people’s skills, expertise, and the time they dedicate to helping others. Each hour of service provided is recorded as credit in the participant’s account, allowing them to receive services from others in the future without any monetary transaction.
“Salam Mahalleh” as the Infrastructure
Seyed Javad Hosseini, Head of the State Welfare Organization, described the initiative as a natural extension of the “Salam Mahalleh” (Hello Neighborhood) program.
He noted that in recent months 2,750 community-based local hubs have been established nationwide through the cooperation of Positive Life Centers, mosques, schools, neighborhood houses, and other local institutions.
More than 2,500 Positive Life Centers currently support these hubs, while 3,000 trained facilitators coordinate social activities within communities.
Hosseini added that 370,000 volunteers have registered through the Salam Mahalleh initiative, offering their services in 13 specialized fields, including medical care, nursing, psychology, education, technical services, and other professional skills.
He also pointed out that during the recent 12‑day war, around 30,000 volunteers participated in community support efforts, demonstrating the potential of neighborhood-based participation—an experience that now lays the groundwork for launching the Time Bank.
Empowering Communities Rather Than Expanding Government
Hosseini emphasized that the philosophy behind the initiative is to empower communities to address their own needs.
“The government should not directly manage neighborhoods,” he said. “Instead, a network of capable and trusted residents should identify local needs and work collectively to address them.”
He noted that the State Welfare Organization possesses a unique nationwide network of trained facilitators, which could serve as a key driving force for implementing the Time Bank initiative.
Gradual Implementation
The program will be implemented gradually and on a pilot basis.
In the first phase, only a limited set of services—such as caregiving support, companionship for older adults, assistance for people with disabilities, and basic community services—will be included in the Time Bank exchange system.
Initial pilot networks will be relatively small, with no more than about 150 participants per community, allowing policymakers to evaluate performance, identify challenges, and refine operational processes.
Hosseini confirmed that older adults and people with disabilities will be the primary beneficiaries in the initial stages of the program.
During the early phase, all services will be valued equally by time, regardless of type. After the pilot stage, a more specialized system for evaluating different services may be introduced.
Policy Framework and Governance
According to Hosseini, the initiative builds on years of research conducted by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare in collaboration with academic institutions and researchers.
He announced that the policy document, operational guidelines, and steering council for the Time Bank have been finalized. The steering council is chaired by the Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, while the executive secretariat is located within the State Welfare Organization. An independent monitoring team will also oversee the implementation and evaluation of the program.
Toward a “Neighborhood Asset Bank”
During the meeting, Mehrdad Ehterami, Scientific Secretary of the Salam Mahalleh initiative, explained the technical infrastructure being developed for the project.
A digital Time Bank platform is currently under design. Participants will register their skills, capabilities, and available services, while neighborhood needs will also be recorded in the system to connect service providers with those seeking help.
A call has already been issued to select a company responsible for developing the platform, and the system will intelligently categorize data on participants, services, local needs, and neighborhood resources.
Ehterami noted that Positive Life Centers are best positioned to identify local needs and community capacities. Each participant will receive a unique identifier, enabling services to be organized according to their place of residence.
Alongside the Time Bank, plans are also underway to establish a “Neighborhood Asset Bank,” which will map the social capital, facilities, and local resources within each community.
If implemented successfully, the initiative could transform the way communities support one another—turning hours spent helping neighbors, older adults, people with disabilities, or families in need into a form of social capital, where trust and solidarity circulate within neighborhoods instead of money.
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