The Omid-e-Mehr Foundation (established 2004 in Iran) and the Omid Foundation (established 2006 in the UK) were founded by Marjaneh Halati, a London-based social psychologist and psychotherapist. Omid is her brainchild, and it is her vision that has created its distinctive holistic approach to helping its vulnerable young Iranian and Afghani women (‘clients’) achieve self-awareness, self-determination and self-sufficiency in modern Iranian society.

Our Mission is to strengthen the social, emotional, and economic competencies of disadvantaged young Iranian and Afghani women (aged from 15 to 25) in Iran, providing them with a sense of self-worth and with the opportunities to experience a full range of life options through self-empowerment, education and training.

Our Clients have typically either been put into care from an early age, or run away from abusive homes, or live in extreme poverty. They often suffer from severe mental health and emotional difficulties, mostly stemming from their experiences of neglect, physical and sexual abuse, and exposure to drugs and violence. We value and nurture the voices, hearts, and minds of these underprivileged and vulnerable young women and help them transform their lives. We believe that through love and care in the context of sustained relationships where practical and emotional needs are addressed, our young clients will be able to overcome the traumas of the past and will eventually be able to take responsibility for their emotions and behaviour.  Starting with a small group of 15 clients in late 2004, Omid now caters to approximately 75 clients at any one time, more than a quarter of whom are Afghani immigrants.

The following data gives an indication of the profile of our clients:

• Age at time of entry: 58% above 20; 42% below 20.
• Formal education at time of entry: 54% completed high school; 42 % some high school education; 4% lower level of education.
• Family and social situation at time of entry: 50% lived in family environment; 22% lived with single parent; 24% lived in local authority facilities; 4% lived alone.
• Field of employment or internship after ‘graduating’ from Omid: 20% secretarial & administrative; 8% information technology; 8% seamstress; 6% beautician; 24% accounting; 10% graphics; 6% accepted to and enrolled at university; 18% other (i.e. clients who did not complete the program, or who chose not to seek employment).

Our Legal Status: We are a non-political organisation, operating through two registered charities (one in Iran, and one in the UK):

• Omid-e-Mehr Charitable Foundation (a charity registered in Iran, registration number 18047), which undertakes both the day-to-day care of our clients in Tehran and local fundraising.
  
• Omid Foundation (a charity registered in the United Kingdom, registration number
  1115318), which undertakes strategic planning, fundraising and activities outside Iran.

Our Management and Organisation
As charitable foundations, both Omid Foundation and the Omid-e-Mehr Foundations are supervised by a board of trustees (both boards are chaired by Marjaneh Halati) which formulates and approves long-term goals and objectives, formulates and adopts policies, develops financial resources for achieving goals, adopts and monitors annual budgets and financial development plans, and monitors the achievement of goals and objectives. In the operations in Iran, the policies set by the board of trustees are implemented by an executive committee consisting of a number of key members of the operational management team. Eshrat Gholipour is chief operating officer of the operations in Iran with responsibility for day-to-day management. She works closely with two assistants (Ladan Kani and Farnaz Gordan), and is supported by a team of 18 full and part-time (paid and volunteer) employees and external specialists, most of whom are teachers, social workers, and clinical psychologists who provide counselling services.

Our Sources of Funding: We are privately funded. Our sources of funds are donations received from charitable trusts, agencies, corporations, organisations and individuals.

Our Finances: Please contact us for a copy of our financial accounts. Our operating budget for 2008 is forecasted at 160,000 Pounds (320,000 US Dollars, 210,000 Euros).