Project Summary:
Many charitable donations are directed toward immediate needs, but life skills development provides an opportunity to build a stronger foundation for the future. At Yarra Foundation, we aim not only to help individuals overcome their current challenges but also to nurture skills that pave the way for long-term success. Skills such as empathy, anger management, critical thinking, and more are key elements on this path.
We understand that the outcomes of investment in such areas are less measurable and visible, and raising funds for them is harder. But we believe the impact of these capabilities is long-lasting and decisive. That’s why we look for supporters who believe in this vision and can stand with us.
The cost of providing such a service is only about $5 per child per month. The high quality of the services and low per-child cost make this aid project one of Yarra’s most impactful projects to date.
The table below provides a summary of this project:
| Type of Educational need: | Salaries of Sayarak Educators in Toroq, in Khorasan Razavi |
| Target Group: | Working children, children with negligent or addicted parents, impoverished families, Afghan refugee children |
| Age Range of Vulnerable Children: | 7 to 15 years old |
| Total Number of Children Affected: | Around 500 boys and girls |
| Province / Nearest City: | Khorasan Razavi / Mashhad |
| Village: | Toroq |
Project Background and Full Description:
Toroq is one of the slum areas around Mashhad. Formerly a village, it became a slum area due to drought-driven migration from surrounding rural areas. Most of Toroq’s residents work in Mashhad but live in Toroq. Many of the women work as maids in hotels or homes, and many of the men are either street sweepers, waste collectors, or livestock farmers. The majority of people in this area are poor and in need.
“Sayarak” is a name we’ve chosen for a space designed to provide an educational, safe, joyful, and engaging environment for children who normally lack access to such opportunities. Most children benefiting from Sayarak are waste-picking or working children, exposed to risky behaviours, including drug and alcohol use and even carrying weapons, which are unfortunately common in their lives.
Sayarak in Toroq began in December 2019, with the Yarra Foundation covering the salaries of the educators. It started with 5 educators and now operates with 10. Quantitatively, over 500 children currently use Sayarak space.
At Sayarak, children read books, play cognitive games, draw, build structures (a highly popular activity), play puppet games, learn storytelling, and act in performances. There are also exercises in imagination, exciting games, speed games, and focus games—each targeting a different mental or emotional skill. Every child, depending on their personality, gravitates toward specific activities, but a strong emphasis is placed on developing their imagination and concentration, which are often weak in this demographic. Children begin with a reading session, then explore the games designed for their unique temperaments.
Hygiene is also a focus at Sayarak. A nurse helps children wash their hands and faces, apply cream, and teaches them proper hygiene, especially before eating.
Most importantly, these children receive emotional and personal support from their educators, who know their stories and hardships. Many of them lack any healthy role models in life, and having someone who listens and cares makes a world of difference for these children.
As described by the psychologist who volunteers there, Sayarak feels like a fancy restaurant for these children—full of colour, games, stories, and most importantly, adults who are kind, attentive, and genuinely interested in them and their life difficulties. Such warmth is often missing at home or in school, which is why the children deeply love their educators.
A large number of the attending children are Afghan. Both Iranian and Afghan children work. Many of them go to school and then work afterward or on Thursdays and Fridays. Their work is mainly waste collection, which is done in an organized, family-based manner. Some other children work as apprentices, like assisting mechanics or shepherds.
Many of these children live very primitive lives and have little interest in reading. That’s why we first have to condition them to be open to learning. Despite this, many still observe Sayarak's “20-minute reading” rule upon arrival—mainly because they want to chat with the educators afterward. In other words, more than the games and books, they love the safe space and the chance to talk with someone who cares.
It is difficult to measure the impact of the Book Center on these children, as their needs and struggles are deep. Still, we can see that those with a prior interest in books now have access, they now have toys, they now have mentors who listen to them. Their reading aloud has improved, they’ve gained the courage to write, to imagine, and to speak about their emotions. Interactions between girls and boys have improved. While these changes are very evident in some children and less so in others, they are the beginning of deeper transformations that take time.
Since 2019, Yarra has been supporting Sayarak in Toroq by paying the educators' salaries, making it a refuge for over 500 vulnerable working children around Mashhad. The cost of providing such a service is only about $5 per child per month. The high quality of the services and low per-child cost make this aid project one of Yarra’s most impactful projects to date. This success even led us to help launch a second Sayarak in Sarpol-e Zahab, which is operating since 2020.
The annual cost of paying salaries for 10 educators at Sayarak Toroq is about $30,000 per year. You can help support this cause by choosing one of the options below:
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