Introduction Reducing and eliminating human poverty has become the urgent task in the world in this new century. In the past a few years, with the economic reform and globalization, the condition of the poverty in Romania has been changed, the problems caused by urban poverty are raising. After the transformations of 1989-1991, Romania was in very different situation and developed very different strategies of adaptation to the new economical, social, political and legal environment. Romania was affected by the disintegration of the communist economic system and the collapse of the Eastern market. These led to a dramatic fall in the life standards and the aggravation of social problems. Since 1989, Romania has undergone a difficult transition to new political institutions and a new economic framework. Economic restructuring has lead to social exclusion, and certain regions of the country, such as mono-industrial centers and rural areas, have been hit even harder. The transition increased poverty and the risk for larger categories of people to become marginalized (Zamfir 2001). To know what helps to reduce poverty, what works and what does not, what changes over time, poverty has to be defined, measured, and studied. As poverty has many dimensions, it has to be looked at through a variety of indicators: levels of income and consumption, social indicators, and indicators of vulnerability. It is important to find out what the poverty really is and then to take programs accordingly. In related studies, when researchers talk about how to eliminate poverty, they usually refer to the role of the Government (Arpinte 2006, Preotesi 2006). Throughout the difficult transition period, Romanian NGOs have provided vital social services with the help of international funding. Over the last decade, civil society organizations have built, developed and maintained a wide range of social services for vulnerable groups. This has been possible with the support of foreign donors and EU programs. It is generally recognized that the social services provided by non-governmental agencies offer higher quality, standards and responsiveness to community needs than public ones. State funding, however, is directed almost exclusively to public social services. Nowadays in the context of rapid urbanization an urban NGO sector is emerging, but the nature of NGOs relationships with communities, and the real impact of their work, are little understood. In my research, I approached the subject of eliminating urban poverty from the roles of the NGOs in North Vest Development Region, Romania. Here, NGOs refer to the social organizations (associations and foundations) that are formal, non-profitable and involved in pro-poor. I will try to find out what roles do the NGOs play in helping the urban poverties to meet their needs, to combat their poverty. In Romania there are researches about poverty as well as poverty reduction, how far poverty is reduced, what are the causes of poverty, the role of government to reduce poverty etc. No research yet to find how the NGOs in Romania perceive the term poverty and what are the factors influencing the NGOs to select poverty reduction programs. It is important to find out what the poverty really is and then to take programs accordingly, so that poverty can be reduced successfully. These studies emerge the question of what right to do the leaders of these NGOs' have to decide what is the best for these people. The NGOs are active actors to combat poverty in Romania, that is why their ways of perceiving poverty and selecting poverty reduction programs is highly significant in contemporary poverty situation. Poverty should be targeted directly on its roots by overcoming the constraints that gives rise to it rather than treating the symptoms of poverty through welfare transfers. It means listening to the poor and learning from them. Emphasis should be on understanding the needs of the poor and the poverty processes that create those needs. Furthermore I will analyze the partnership between NGOs and Local Administration, cooperation, communication with public institutions and between NGOs, the intensity of partnership between NGOs and local administration, available human resources, financial resources
Main Research Questions
How do the NGOs working with urban poor, conceive the term poverty?
How do NGOs select their programs?
What role can NGOs really play in combating urban poverty?
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