By Syma Sayyah, Tehran
During my recent lightning trip to
Bam, I was able to check on the progress of several projects. I was on the planning committee of the
Women’s NGOs and CSOs Coordinating Committee for the Restoration of Bam which
originally represented more than 44 NGOs and is building a Cultural Center for Women in
Bam.
I
visited that site after coordinating with its architect, Mr. Rashid Khomarlou whom I had met
previously during my tenure on the planning committee, and also my friend
Khadijeh Moghadam (who heads an NGO related to empowering women in
Iran and environmental
issues) in Tehran.
She is on the construction committee along with Encie Mostashai (from
Yari NGO), Zari Hassibi who is very active in several NGOs including Mehr, and Behdoukhate
Roushdih (head of the Roushdih Foundation). She was one of the three ladies who
initiated this project in the first place and persuaded Mrs. Ebbadi to open an
account for this purposes which has now been completely turned over to the
construction committee. The
committee will have to raise more funds in order to finish this project:
http://www.bam.zanan.co.ir. This project
is next to the Azad University building.
I saw the finished building built by
SAF (Science and Art Foundation)
which we hope will be in use soon. I also visited one of the three works
under construction by the Mother and Child Foundation under the supervision of
Mrs. Ahmadie-Zadeh and her group of donors. The project here involves three sets of
28 units for single mothers with their children. I also saw the impressive and
almost finished Bam library, the Ministry of Justice, Azad University, Payam Nour
University buildings and
several schools.
One project gets my star mark in Bam
among all the works done there since the earthquake. No one can miss it, not only because it
is very large and it is in the city center, but because of the good and
impressive work which went on even on a Friday afternoon. This project is the 6000 seat stadium,
which will hopefully bring back a sense of local community. The idea came from the Iranian Football
Federation.
Women Cultural Center designed by Rashid Khomarlou
for Women NGOs and CSOs Coordinating Committee for
the Restoration of Bam
The funding, to the best of my
knowledge and what I could find out, came from two friendly football games
between the Iran and German
national teams in October 2004 as well as donations from the game between Bayern
Munich and Persepolis football team in Tehran last year. I think this will do most good for
the people’s wellbeing as well as their sense of common citizenship of one the
most important historical places in Iran.
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