Masoumeh Rahdar, Sadegh Asghari Lafmejani, Mahmoud Reza Mirlotfi, Mohammad Pirani,
Volume 0, Issue 0 (1-2026)
Abstract
Objective: The Relief Committee, as one of the main social support institutions in Iran, has the mission to empower vulnerable and impoverished households and assist them in breaking free from the cycle of poverty. This study aims to critically assess and analyze the effectiveness of the committee's actions in empowering rural households in Hamoun County, located in the Sistan region. Methods: The research methodology is descriptive-analytical, based on both documentary and field data. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered at two levels: household heads and local experts. The statistical population includes heads of rural households under the coverage of the Relief Committee, from which a sample of 369 households was selected using Cochran’s formula. Data analysis was carried out using the ARAS multi-criteria decision-making technique along with SPSS and ArcGIS software. Results: Findings indicate that among the economic indicators, self-sufficiency and employment loans scored the lowest in effectiveness (with means of 1.08 and 1.23), whereas indicators such as psychological well-being and life satisfaction scored highest in the socio-cultural dimension. Additionally, the Friedman test results revealed significant differences among the various dimensions of empowerment, with the socio-cultural dimension having the highest quality and the economic dimension the lowest. Conclusions: Further analyses identified inadequate oversight and the inefficiency of personnel in implementing targeted programs as key factors contributing to the shortcomings in the Relief Committee’s actions. These findings highlight the need for a strategic revision of implementation policies, specialized staff training, and the strengthening of process-oriented monitoring systems to enhance the impact of empowerment programs in rural areas.
