In this two-week training course, a number of 130 participants were familiarized with the basic facilitation skills. Changing in attitude, having teamwork spirit and familiarizing with the concepts such as familiarity with the basics and concepts of facilitation, behavioral principles of a facilitator, facilitation skills and tools, etc. have been emphasized in this edition of the course.

In this ceremony, managing director of Barakat Foundation, affiliated to EIKO, pointed to the high potentials and capabilities of less developed and disadvantaged areas in the country and reiterated, “attendance of 62 volunteer facilitators from Sistan and Baluchestan province in this edition of the training course is a solid evidence for the said claim.”

Assets of a country do not necessarily consist its underground resources and mines, rather, creative and skilled manpower is the asset of a country that moves the economy of the country towards prosperity and boom, he emphasized.

Unfortunately, in the last few decades, “we have considered the development only in the creation of infrastructures and due to the lack of local and public participation in the field of development, we still witness spread of poverty, deprivation, class gap and lack of fair distribution of incomes and opportunities in the society.”

Changing in attitude and defining a concept of poverty is the first step in addressing these conditions, he said, adding, “if the attitude is corrected, other cases such as a change in behavior, type of tools and solutions will naturally be obtained.”

As an institution focusing on materializing advises of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the field of eradication of deprivation and removal of poverty, Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO) tries to clarify and introduce a new movement towards the development of the country, leading to the sustained and lasting results, the managing director emphasized.

He addressed the participants in the first edition of the training course of facilitation of Aseman Plan, and said, “what you have learned in this course is the result of an attempt towards a new approach that leads to the sustainable development.”

“If we only make a huge investment in the deprived and disadvantaged regions of the country but do not pay due attention to the livelihood of inhabitants, infrastructural activities will not be effective either,” he reiterated.

Therefore, the issue of job creation and provision of sustainable livelihood is the main priority and objective of Barakat Foundation according to principled policies of the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO), he maintained.

He went on to say that sustainable development is possible with the participation of local communities and a chain of value-creation should be created through the abilities and capabilities that exist in society.

He pointed to the salient specifications of a facilitator and added, “in the first step, the facilitator must work for the sake of God and should practice self-sacrifice. He [facilitator] is worthwhile and influential. Also, a facilitator should have a comprehensive look at the development of the area that he or she works in that environment. In addition to facilitation based on a new look, you can also optimize the community-based plans of ‘Aseman’, ‘Aftab’ and ‘Mahtab’.

In this two-week training course, a number of 130 participants were familiarized with the basic facilitation skills. Changing in attitude, having teamwork spirit and familiarizing with the concepts such as familiarity with the basics and concepts of facilitation, behavioral principles of a facilitator, facilitation skills and tools, etc. have been emphasized in this edition, he concluded.