In absence of a proper economic mechanism, people have to make available their products for brokers, but in AFTAB Initiative we help people to distribute directly their products through working with Barakat Foundation.
In an interview with our reporter, CEO of Barakat Foundation explained about details of society-based initiatives of this foundation across the deprived regions of Iran and said, “Both AFTAB and ASEMAN initiatives are in the pipeline now, after a year of researches made by Research and Development Committee of Barakat Foundation, an affiliated foundation of EIKO. Its purpose is eradication of poverty and deprivation from the deprived areas of the country in the framework of society-based economic initiatives.”
He also explained, “In the framework of such initiatives, Barakat Foundation involves with economic projects in the local societies where there are local and regional potential and capacities. For instance, if there is a good product in a part of the country, but there is no capacity and capability to pack them, AFTAB Initiative can be used to help the local people to get rid of this problem and to empower this capacity in their region.”
Dr. Norouzi reiterated, “In absence of a proper economic mechanism, people have to make available their products for brokers, but in AFTAB Initiative we help people to distribute directly their products through working with Barakat Foundation.”
According to him, when the participatory factories gain added value, the Barakat Foundation’s shares will be completely transferred to people. The participation percentage has been planned so that management and decision making is done by people themselves. The Cooperatives are tasked with supplying manpower; it means that the full management of enterprises is transferred to local people.
Pointing to this that Barakat Foundation intends to help people to be independent in economic activities, Dr. Norouzi said, “We are seeking for developing a sustainable employment and our projects cover everything from agriculture to handicrafts and ecotourism. We train people in a certain period of time in order to empower them to be able to improve their business.”
He also said that Barakat Foundation cooperate with people in production of products which have consumption markets and added that the first society-based economic participatory contract in the framework of AFTAB initiative was signed between Barakat Foundation and Andimeshk’s Women Rural Cooperative. Following this contract Andimeshk’s hand-woven carpets workshop with capacity of generating 413 direct jobs for breadwinner women has come under coverage of this foundation. Recently two other participatory contracts in Sistan-Baluchestan Province on processing and packing pistachios and dates in Kurin and Saravan were signed by head of EIKO.
“We have some plans to conduct AFTAB Initiative in Sistan-Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Kerman, Khuzestan, East Azarbaijan, Semnan and Isfahan provinces. For implementing society-based projects, our R&D Committee has identified 568 deprived points of the country which have sufficient potential and capacity,” He said.
Explaining about the general purpose and scope of ASEMAN initiative, Dr. Nouruzi said, “We are seeking for reaching sustainable employment and to stop migrations from villages to cities and from small cities to larger ones. We also intend to supply the minimum livelihood and incomes for villagers and people who are living in the deprived parts of the country.”
