Near East Foundation in Iran (1950s?)

[Music] la [Music] New York City is the main point of arrival and departure for travelers between the United States and the near East there are located here the headquarters of many organizations whose interests lie abroad [Music] such an organization is the near East foundation which concerns itself with the problems of near Eastern Nations including Iran it is a Clearing House of useful information it employs Educators Engineers technicians and sends them forth to work wherever they may be needed [Music] in Teran near the memorial to the great poet ferozi the foundation has its Iranian headquarters from here the foundation employees go out to the voman plane each day their purpose is to work with the farmers Housewives and villagers of the region to help solve their local problems if they can to help plan and Carry Out improvements or new projects which the people need [Music] the veran plane itself is a constant reminder of the land's great need for water the soil here is basically fertile good crops could be grown if there was water therefore water is one of the major concerns of these Foundation workers [Music] at Villages along the road the men of the foundation stop periodically to talk with the village leaders and to observe conditions sometimes they find as in this Village that improvements are needed to raise the standards of Sanitation and health on the village stream for example they observe here a practice that is often harmful to [Music] health the drinking water that appears to be pure is actually being contaminated by animals close by and by the washing of soiled clothing and utensils in that same [Music] water in this Village the children had not been vaccinated to prevent disease teachers and schools too were unknown to this Village and the children spent their days in Dusty [Music] streets the diet of the villagers was inadequate for good health bread and tea or masted was standard fair and the symptoms of under nurishment were visible especially in the children it was true the villagers were poor but the the men of the foundation knew they could nevertheless learn to make Gardens and grow vegetables to improve their [Music] diet other things could also be learned like spraying with DDT to eliminate flies and mosquitoes before leaving this Village the head of the foundation crew promised to help the people the special Workman of the foundation would be sent here soon to consult with the Villagers and to assist them in any way they could the foundation car then drove on to the Village of Maman here the staff has helped to create what in many ways is a model Village it is a result of much labor on the part of the villagers as well as the foundation staff all who have taken part in its development are proud of their handiwork each day's work here is planned in advance the the combined knowledge of this group of technicians includes agriculture construction sanitation irrigation and Engineering each man is responsible for one part of the program before the Improvement program began mamazon was no different from the roadside Village we saw a moment ago there were no fields of flourishing crops here no green vegetable gardens but the potential was here and once the life-giving water was brought up from the earth the transformation began a simple and practical irrigation system was laid out using materials that could be produced in the village the water supply existing far below the surface of the Earth was tapped by a deep well and a pump was installed to bring this water to the surface the water thus made available to the village is pure and healthful and free from contamination water for washing clothes and for other purposes is provided separately away from the drinking water the water supply has also made it possible to raise other things this villager has a small flock of chickens now that feed is available for them an ample water supply for field irrigation also has important effects the bull and wooden plow are the traditional implements for turning the soil the traditional season is early spring and only then because at other times the Earth is too hard and dry at best it is a very hard job and often the plow cannot go deep enough to properly work the soil but with irrigation during the growing season the Earth softens and yields the modern steel plow pulled by a tractor has also been of benefit to the farmers its blades are able to dig deep into the soil and do a thorough job it is the duty of one of the foundation workers to teach Farmers here how to operate this equipment they have learned it well and have seen how much more work a man can do with proper equip equipment and knowledge as new strains of wheat are developed and better methods of farming in general it is hoped that the yields of grain can be increased gradually in years to come meanwhile the harvesting and threshing of grain usually follows traditional patterns of generations past but here too new methods are being introduced by the foundation staff with this mechanical Harvester for instance one man can do the work of many freed from much of the long hard labor of Harvest Time farmers can thus devote more time to other productive work to the benefit of themselves and their families the domestic life of the village reflects in many ways the changes made outside living conditions have become more healthful and attractive flower gardens bloom along the walls the compounds and the homes have been improved with more attention given to weariness and cleanliness for the sake of Health this is the village of polash a few miles from amazan there has been established here a training school for teachers of Agriculture the school is operated by the Iranian Ministry of Education and supervised by the near East foundation the school buildings are converted Stables made into Pleasant living quarters for the students as students of Agriculture who will soon become teachers of agriculture in The Villages they know what kinds of food are needed for good health their own meals include all the elements of a balanced diet including milk cheese meat and fresh vegetables such as carrots cabbage or lettuce in this school in addition to learning reading writing and Mathematics the students are taught handycrafts a knowledge of how to improvise needed articles out of wood or metal will be helpful when they return to their villages they will also teach others the things they have learned themselves the uses and maintenance of the farm machinery is part of the students training since mechanized farming is at a minimum in this region and machine parts are unobtainable nearby they must know how to make repairs in the fields with their own hands as more Machinery is acquired by Iranian farmers in the future these young men will be able to teach others how to keep that equipment in good repair this is the primary school for the children of polash the students at the nearby teachers Training Center take part in the educational and recreational program here it gives them practice is at their future task of leading and teaching the young this Primary School also has a garden in which the children themselves grow vegetables under the guidance of the student teachers the children many of whom will be Farmers when they grow up thus learn about plant life in their early years the nutritional value of the different vegetables is taught to them and they are encouraged to eat some fresh vegetables with their meals at home each day this is the handycraft shop for the children woodworking is one of the crafts they learn waving is [Music] another the girls learn sewing the workers of the foundation help the villagers in their constant fight against mosquitoes and flies the weapons used are portable spray pumps loaded with [Music] DDT they cover every building and house in the village this program of preventing disease at its Source has helped to reduce dysentery typhoid and [Music] malaria the school children are also vaccinated against disease most of them take the needle bravely knowing it will protect their [Music] health thus in Iran the work of the near East foundation goes on helping to solve those problems which are common to all nations to render a little more fruitful the soil the farmer tills to enlarge a little the capacity for production to advance a little the standards of health and in these ways to broaden the horizons of the generations to come [Music]