Vision
We dream of a world where every child has the possibility to attend school, every day. Our goal is to help over 5,000 children by 2023.
Mission
The Yari Foundation’s mission is to enable socially and economically marginalized children in Iran to complete their education, thus giving them a chance to fulfil their own potential and create a future for themselves.
Our Core Principles
Transparent organization
We strongly believe that our work should be totally democratic and transparent, therefore all of our finances are triple controlled and processes are made available for you at any time.
100%
One of our core principle is that 100% of our administrative costs are covered by earmarked donations from entrepreneurs.
Data driven decisions
We are a data driven charity organization. The ability to see our progress is imprinted in our data all the time, from your payments to individual grades and improvements of students under our care.
What is YARI?
YARI is a non-political, non-religious, non-profit organization created in 1999 by a small group of friends in Sweden that thought it would be better to collectively extend help to children in need rather than individually. We started by providing scholarships to four children and has since helped thousands of children to a better brighter future. The key to success for YARI has been to think in terms of a modern structured company while keeping charity at the heart and core of its mission.
YARI doesn’t work for profit but works hard to ensure that every penny is being spent in the most efficient and effective way. This is the mindset that runs through everything we do. The organization’s board and most of our staff are volunteers which has prompted the organization to optimize the way it uses its resources. The volunteers consists of a number of professionals in a wide range of professions with expertise in communications, IT, organizational- and process development, statistics, data analysis, management and of course education. Everyone contributes with their expertise – this allows us to use time in a efficient way for the best possible effect for the children.
What we do
Yari provides a monthly scholarship for children between 7-18 years. This amount is intended to cover school fees, food, clothes, books or travel expenses depending on the exact needs of that child. It’s a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) which means that in return for the transfer Yari requires proof of attendance. Want to know more about CCT’s and why it’s such an effective way of donating? Read here.
Organization
The root of Yaris organisation are its members, who at the annual meeting choose the members of the board and are given the responsibility to lead the organization until next annual meeting. Yaris daily operations are carried forward by the operational lead team which consists of both board members and non-board members, which in turn is grouped into several subgroups as seen in the figure. The lead team meets in so called open space meetings and all decisions are taken in consensus form, we embrace the agile mindset and have even deployed SCRUM as a framework for two of our teams.
How we are funded
YARI is funded through three main channels:
- Donations from the public to our sponsorship program,
- Events of different sorts & cultural grants for them
- Sponsorship from the public sector, entrepreneurs and corporations
At the heart of our funding is the child sponsorship program where private individuals sponsor a child with a specific monthly sum. The sponsorship program is supplemented by the surplus income we get from arranging different cultural activities (for instance the annual Iranian Film Festival in Sweden) and donations and sponsorship from private corporations.
One of our core principles is that all of the funds gathered for the sponsorship program goes to the children. Private donors, foundations and sponsors cover everything from staff salaries to it systems, marketing to office rent and supplies separately through dedicated funds. These donors are some of our most dedicated: their investment fuels our long-term mission, our ability to scale as an organization and our mission to continue using all of the funds gathered for the sponsorship program for the children and their education.
In memory of
Masoud Variani
Founder of föreningen Yari
Masoud Ebrahim Variani was born in Karaj, a city on the outskirts of Teheran, on March 25th 1951. The oldest of four brothers and sisters, his life would be defined at a rather young age, when he lost his mother at the tender age of six. Having to help out in the household and assume a greater role in his siblings upbringing, created a higher sense of giving, an attribute he later came to personify.
The war between Iran and Iraq, along with inner turmoil in the country made for an unsustainable situation, and so the family decided to emigrate. After a not so straight path, mr Ebrahim Variani and his family ended up in Uppsala, Sweden, a city in close proximity to the capital Stockholm.
After many years of doing social work, Together with like minded friends, he created a non-political, non-profit organization that would be called Yari. An organization focused on funding the educations of children in poverty stricken areas.
“If we can help ONE child get off the streets and in behind a school desk, we’ve won!” was one of his mantras. A mantra that still echoes loud within our organization.
The legacy of mr Masoud Ebrahim Variani is one of service and giving. For giving is the greatest service you can do unto yourself. A legacy we have vowed to keep alive as we continue our mission.
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