Anti-poverty Efforts of Non-Governmental Organizations and the Poor

The purpose of this article is to examine the efforts made by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Tehran to alleviate destitution. It also attempts to answer the crucial question of whether these actions are consistent with the realities of the poor's lives.The research method used is qualitative content analysis. The sample consists of 29 participants, including NGO representatives, individuals intimately involved with the poor, and the poor themselves. This research employs the organizational ecology theory, institutional theory of poverty, spatial approach to poverty, social exclusion, weak ties, capability poverty, and poverty traps as theoretical frameworks.The main findings of the research include the struggles of the poor in meeting their daily needs, the heavy social damages and crises in the lives of the poor, the legal ignorance of the poor, the limited reach of services provided to the poor, the mismatch between the programs and services offered by NGOs and the crucial realities of the lives of the poor, and the difficulties faced by NGOs in addressing the daily challenges of the poor.The results indicate that the realities of the lives of the impoverished are complex and diverse, and that the programs and services provided by NGOs are frequently misaligned with these realities for a variety of reasons. Volunteers and the poor assert that these organizations are only concerned with alleviating the symptoms of poverty, providing irregular and insignificant assistance for subsistence, and ignoring absolute poverty and the need for comprehensive assistance. This has made it difficult for the impoverished to gain access to housing, resolve social issues, and improve their cognitive abilities. These organizations have only scratched the surface of poverty and have been unable to address major issues such as housing, addiction problems, legal challenges faced by women and orphaned and neglected children, physical and mental illnesses, school fees, etc., which are the most significant obstacles faced by the poor