Presentation

General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity is an institution who gives services of social reliefs in the most extensive and organized way. The institution carries out its social relief activities with the sources of Social Assistance and Solidarity Incentive Funds constituted by the Law of Social Assistance and Solidarity Incentive numbered 3294 and introduced in 1989. Moreover, those funds are being used through 973 Social Assistance and Solidarity Associations established in all provinces and districts headed by Governors and District Governors with the authorization given in the same law. The interest group of social reliefs is determined in the stated law and constituted by poor people with no social security. Supports are given to those citizen so as to meet their basic needs (food, education, fuel, sheltering, health etc.), and additionally project supports are given to those who have the ability of working so as to make them productive. Struggle against poverty is a very crucial and sensitive field for providing healthy social structure and social wealth and peace. To be a leader institution working in such a crucial and sensitive field in this country increases the value and effects of results of activities carried out by GDSAS on society. On the other hand, it also keeps interest of public opinion continuous and alive to our activities. Definitely, this interest of public opinion makes it incentive for us to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of our activities.

GDSAS who carries out very effective services on struggling against poverty, carries out activities for actuating social relief activities, reaching unattainable poor people and providing efficiency of public resources. Within this concept, projects, to which needed resources allocated by the offers in 2009 Investment Program and approval of State Planning Organization gain priority. Especially, it is aimed to solve the problems, that are the basic problems of social relief field, lack of common database and lack of objective criteria for determining beneficiaries of social reliefs and to determine infrastructure of institutional social relief system by realizing the projects called "Integrated Social Relief Supports Project" and "Project on Developing Process for Specifying Beneficiaries of Social Reliefs" and stated as "reform" in social relief field. It is obvious that "social reliefs" are the tools of social policy used in the last years so as to act justly and sensibly by protecting poor parts of the population. However, when socio-economic and individual characteristics of people who are the beneficiaries of social reliefs are considered, it is seen that those people are mostly the most disadvantaged part of the population in terms of education, culture and economy. This case results in the fact that poor people feel that they do not have right to show their ideas, lack of power and independence. This despair also results in lack of awareness about social reliefs of the state and the institution and lack of knowledge about how to achieve those public supports. Therefore; poor people can not benefit from these supports although they can. For an effective struggle with poverty; it is needed to strengthen poor people and the increase their ability to reach information and support. With this purpose; "Social Relief Line Project" is prepared and this line helps people gaining useful information by evaluating complains and suggestions of them and by consulting efficiently. GDSAS uses the opportunities of technology so as to increase its service quality and speed of procedures. One the projects developed with this aim is "Free Internet Phone Project". This project covers the activities of providing a voice network between General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity and 973 Associations and by this way succeeding communication quicker and cheaper. The most important aim of the GDSAS is to keep and improve labor force and to make citizens active and productive. For this reason; a big part of the fund is used for education supports with a perception that is human based and for supports for project about income generating activities aiming sustainable income generating for citizens.

GDSAS 2009-2013 Strategic Plan is developed and long term purposes and priorities are stated there. During this period; activities will focus on establishing management information systems, specifying objective poverty criteria and establishing effective monitoring and inspection systems so as to provide institutional development in order to give services about education, health, production and employment more efficiently.

Aziz YILDIRIM

Managing Director