There are so many unknown talented kids in the country who attain their goals despite the limitations and handicaps
Mahtab Keramati, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador said children’s issues “are among the most important concerns all around the globe” including Iran.
Speaking at a press conference in Birjand, Khorasan-e Jonoubi Province, Keramati who is also Samsung Company’s envoy of ‘Hope for Children’ campaign said education and comprehensive growth of children “is a common concern and any effort to attain this is priceless.”
“All of us, in any position and status, should take a step forward to draw the attention of authorities to children’s needs, issues, and problems,” ISNA quoted her as saying.
The well-known film star is the second celebrity in Iran, after football legend Ali Daie, to serve as a UNICEF goodwill envoy.
Keramati said in her previous visits to Ahvaz and Kermanshah she had met several visually impaired children and got acquainted with their life style, abilities and capabilities, and “their concerns and worries.” Visually impaired children, if attended to from a young age, will get the opportunity to show their talents and achieve far better results in life, she noted.
She also said the trips were beneficial as “I realized there are so many unknown talents who attain their goals despite all the limitations and handicaps. My admiration for them has strengthened my motivation to make greater effort to introduce them to the society,” she asserted.
Responsibility
The actress, who was appointed in 2006 as UNICEF National Ambassador, said providing educational facilities for children is “every body’s responsibility” and stressed “there should be no obstacles in the progress and growth of our children.”
The UNICEF goodwill envoy pointed to the Audio Book Library as “a very successful program to boost corporate social responsibility” in Iran and stated that the libraries enjoy up-to-date technologies and “creativity is a basic part of their structure.”
“They have also been designed taking every aspect and detail of blind people’s needs into account. They are the direct result of love and affection in the hearts of Iranians who still read stories for children,” Keramati noted.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the corporate initiative to take responsibility for environment and social welfare. It means a commitment to developing policies that integrate responsible practices into daily business operations.
The Audio Book Library is a part of the ‘Hope for Children’ campaign programs for blind children. In the library’s website, volunteers can record their story reading for blind children to listen.
Audio Libraries
There are 10 audio libraries in the country and two more are to be launched soon. About 470 titles have already been read and recorded by over 1,200 volunteers and more are to come, says the audio library website.
The rehabilitation deputy at the provincial State Welfare Organization Jamlieh Reza-Zadeh, also said 16,128 mentally or physically impaired people are under the support and care of the organization, 530 of whom are blind. From this number 236 are school students and 38 study in universities. All are in need of audio book libraries.
She urged for private sector collaboration and investment “to turn the high potential of the blind into performance.”
