One of the goals of Children Of Persia is to educate the Iranian-American community about the needs of children and families in Iran. In pursuit of this goal, Children of Persia organized a symposium in conjunction with Iranian Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on An Overview on Child Health in Iran. This program was held at National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland on November 30, 2001. The program consisted of four major research papers and three presentations.

The four major research papers were as follows:

1. State of Health Care in Iran, presented by Dr. Mahnaz Motevalli, medical director of Children of Persia.
2. HIV and Cancer in Iran, a presentation by Dr. Ali Ardekani, a research scientist at the National Cancer Center.
3. Sistan & Baluchestan, the Forgotten Province, presented by Dr. Shahram Amina – an overview of the health care system and problems specifically in the Sistan & Baluchestan provinces.
4. How Charitable Foundations Can Work in Iran, presented by Brian Oliner, Esq., Children of Persia’s legal council – a historic look at non-governmental organization (ngo) activities in Iran and the effect of current U.S. economic sanctions.

The three presentations by Children of Persia included:

1. Welcoming remarks by Reza Jafari, a Children Of Persia board member and scientist at NIH.
2. Summary of Children of Persia’s activities with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Iran, given by Shiva Jafari, board member of Children of Persia.
3. Visual journey of Sistan & Baluchestan and the Zabol Medical Center by Roshanak Hakimian, an officer of Children Of Persia.

In conclusion, there was a question & answer session where the members of the NIH community had a chance to meet Children Of Persia and the presenters at a small reception. There were copies of all the materials presented available for the audience. NIH members also had the opportunity to meet Children Of Persia and the presenters at a small reception.