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Dear Friends
My name is Maryam Rajaei. I am a drilling engineer and work with Schlumberger in Thailand and will be
attempting to climb Mount Damavand in Iran this Summer to raise funds for the Omid Foundation.
I think I am a lucky woman. I was born in a lovely family, who gave me all conceivable opportunities,
encouraged me to pursue my studies and let me pursue my dreams. I grew up in a world with out hate,
sorrow or misery. The only regret that I have is that I did not pursue my dreams, because I didn't
think that I was strong enough to turn my dreams into reality.
A year ago, I learned about the work of the Omid Foundation through a friend and have since kept
myself informed about the progress of the work they do to support marginalized young women in
Iran. Their commitment and effectiveness to building a new life for the young women in their
care, never ceases to fascinate me. Their three year holistic program has a truly remarkable success
rate. More that 85% of the young women who enroll in the Omid program emerge as successful
individuals who hold a permanent job in a prominent Iranian company and who believe in themselves.
Recently I learned that Omid has to turn away 3 out of 4 girls who want to enroll in their
program and they need funds to open a second center in 2012 at a cost of $1,600,000. The European
commission in Brussels has agreed to provide $1,130,000 of the funding for this project subject to
Omid raising the remaining $480,000. I was shocked by the tragedy of the enormous numbers of girls
being turned away. I couldn't walk away and not help secure the only chance of survival these
girls might ever have.
It made me want to do whatever I could to raise more support and awareness for the work of the Omid Foundation.
That is when I decided to raise funds for Omid by climbing Mount Damavand, Iran's highest mountain. I am not
any professional climber, but I am exercising every day to get in shape. The exercise part turns to be a joy
and I feel great but the climbing part will be still tough for me. I will attempt to climb Mount Damavand in
August 2011 and reach its 5600m peak, in support of Omid. I need your support.
Omid helps lots of young women to have the strength and confidence they need to achieve a better future, a future
they couldn't have without help of Omid. Please donate today to raise the chance of survival these young girls have.
Your donation will give the power to these women to realize their dreams and help me to work for my forgotten dream, a world with less misery.
Maryam
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