In 1999, Delfarib Fanaie and her husband decided to adopt a child from their home country of Iran. They witnessed the needs of children first-hand as they traveled to various orphan care centers in Tehran. When they adopted their oldest child in 2006, Delfarib met a young girl, Sepideh, who asked her a simple and direct question: “why can’t you take me with you?”
Moved by the question and stirred by her experiences, Delfarib dedicated herself to helping impoverished children. In 2008, inspired by Sepideh’s story, Delfarib and her friends founded Moms Against Poverty. It is the global non-profit organization’s mission to nurture and educate underprivileged children to their fullest potential, so that one day they can contribute and lead within their own communities and break the cycle of poverty.
The organization is holistically minded, advancing communities one program at a time toward well-being and self-sufficiency. Since its founding, the organization has built more than 60 schools and supported more than 30 orphan care centers around the world. In 2022, Delfarib Fanaie was honored with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities after being nominated by KPIX CBS 5 TV, San Francisco, CA.
We are proud to share Delfarib’s story as we mark International Women’s Day and celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the world.
