KABUL: (MEP) Iranians may not observe Christmas, but as much of the West celebrates this year’s holiday season many in Iran are also embracing the spirit of giving, one wall at a time.
The “Kindness Wall” movement — in which ordinary citizens hang clothes on walls as donations for the homeless during Iran’s cold winter — is picking up across the country, which has long struggled under the weight of economic sanctions imposed by the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.
It’s not clear how or where the movement started, but Iranian newspaper Hamshahri said it likely sprang from one man’s goodwill gesture in a neighborhood in the northwestern city of Mashhad.
The man, who asked to remain unknown, told the newspaper he had spotted social media reports of similar initiatives in Australia and Europe, and thought he should start a wave of giving in his own city. The concept is simple. Someone places clothes hangers on a street side wall and paints instructions similar to his: “If you don’t need it, leave it. If you need it, take it.”
The initiative took off quickly in Mashhad, and has spread to other major Iranian cities including Isfahan, Kerman, Tabriz and Bandar Abbas. Iranians are also supporting it via Facebook, Instagram and other popular social media websites.
Emad Hashemi, a young Iranian who lives in Qeshm Island, said he learned about the movement on social media, then posted a picture and location of a local Kindness Wall on his Instagram page and wrote: “Friends, whoever has extra clothes can hang them on the Kindness Wall to not only fulfill their soul, but also help those in need.”
“Thank God there was a strong support,” Hashemi said.
