OMID took me in during the hardest times of my life. The loving care that I received alongside the skills I learned made me want to give something back after finishing the program, when I was ready to walk into the world a new woman.

OMID mends the pieces of broken lives by restoring and empowering marginalized young women in Iran.

Empowering Young Women in Need

OMID Foundation helps disadvantaged young women, who have been discarded and undervalued by society, to transform their lives and work toward a better future for themselves and other women in Iran.

Since 2004 we have worked with women between the ages of 15 and 25 who are survivors of abuse, trauma, neglect and persecution. Our aim is to support and provide tools to these vulnerable young women in their journey toward self-empowerment social, economic and emotional.

This is one of those organizations where the support you give really has an impact on changing lives.

Caring for the Whole Person

The complex mental and emotional strains on the women in our care can only be addressed by looking at all of their needs.

So to start, we create a warm, secure and nonjudgmental environment in which they begin often for the first time in their lives to feel valued, have their lives affirmed, and be treated with respect, kindness and dignity.

OMID believed in me and became my family. I felt safe for the first time in my life. People who grow up in the safety of a caring family cannot understand that safety is a privilege. Everything is possible now.

Our holistic program offers:

• psychological and personal development through trauma-informed workshops and interventions
• social and recreational activities to facilitate social integration and readjustment
• structured education and vocational training

Through this integrated approach, we help the women find resilience, self-efficacy and a sense of future. Employing the best teachers and social workers, our three-year program opens up a full range of life options for these young women, encouraging independent thinking and a view of the world from different perspectives.

All interventions are gender sensitive, rights-based and family- and community-centered, a crucial framework for helping them heal from and process their traumatic experiences, while equipping them with skills for a successful future.

Empowerment workshops foster their understanding of the role of individual and human rights, the law and gender identity in society, while the education program strengthens their computer, language and critical-thinking skills. Over 200 young women at any one time take part in these programs.

At the end of three years, the women choose whether to continue their education at the university level or to pursue one of the vocational training options offered at OMID. Those who complete their vocational training are placed in well-paying jobs or start their own businesses under OMID’s guidance.

In addition to furthering their studies or training, some graduates help deepen OMID’s impact to include marginalized young women not currently under our care. Trained as peer educators, these leaders ably run our extensive outreach program and deliver our message of self-empowerment to the wider community.