The program has paved the way for ordinary people to voluntarily pitch in from across Iran to resolve other people’s problems.

According to Ahmad Mirzadeh, head of Razavi Volunteers and Public Services Center, “The volunteers have helped 1.5 million pilgrims from deprived classes to visit Imam Reza shrine for the first time”.

In another move, some 2.2 food packages have been distributed among the needy in 5 phases.

Mirzadeh pointed to ‘Imam Reza Charity’ program to free prisoners of unintentional financial crimes under the auspices of Center for Women and Family Affairs of Imam Reza shrine, saying: “The greatest achievement of this program has been freeing some 732 incarcerated parents who owed a whopping aggregate sum of $9.4m”.

There are currently 5,927 centers across the country with some 160,000 volunteers who have made great strides in eliminating deprivation in society.

 Razavi Volunteers and Public Services Center has also taken steps in supporting some 27,500 mothers under the national program of ‘Yasna’.

“The government, some affiliated organizations and Imam Reza shrine have joined forces in ‘Yasna’ program, and distributed food packages among deprived mothers across 8 Iranian provinces over six months”, concluded Mirzadeh.