Moms Against Poverty’s Impact

A prime example of this dedication to Iran is the opening of an orphanage in Kerman that aimed to cater to teenage girls, to provide them with support and technical training, readying these young women for the careers before them. Ms. Alavi explained some of the rationales behind this project, stating that “older girls typically age out of traditional orphanages and are left to fend for themselves, leaving them vulnerable to child marriage and extreme poverty.” Delaying these ladies’ independence is not only beneficial in the sense that it can prevent critical socio-economic concerns, but it also leaves room for technical training. The Kerman orphanage is equipped with computer labs, cooking stations, and sewing machines, opening up a variety of career paths to these girls and underlining Moms Against Poverty’s impact.

Given the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent lockdowns, the folks at MAP felt it important to take action. In Senegal, Nepal and Ghana they “doubled down” on their hunger relief measures and in Sierra Leone they constructed “hand-washing stations at 10 schools and provided child-sized cloth face masks to 400 children,” Ms. Alavi highlighted. Back in Iran, the organization stepped in by delivering ill-equipped hospitals “ventilators, oxygen tanks, and pulse oximeters” and by “providing 3,000,000 N95 masks and 18,000 liters of sanitizers,” Sam continued. MAP has a long track record of disaster relief and thus its associates were able to quickly create a plan of action. Findings soon determined that donating medical equipment to needy facilities and quenching hunger was the optimal way to enhance Moms Against Poverty’s impact.

Addressing the plight of those near and far are not mutually exclusive concepts, and MAP shows this. The organization received the 2022 Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for “Outstanding Public Service Benefiting a Local Community,” reinforcing the fact that the entire global has experienced Moms Against Poverty’s impact. “Winning the national award and being recognized as a top organization doing important work in the US and globally to support children, was truly special,” Sam Alavi reflected.

As an annual tradition, MAP holds a fundraising gala to gain funds for various projects and to garner support for its mission and initiatives. Composed of a dinner, dance and auction, donors not only have a good time but also put their money behind an influential cause they truly believe in. One donor at the 2015 gala, Doosa Sobouti, proclaimed “What better way to celebrate life than to give to people who really need it?” Building these connections with donors and fostering public backing is critical to the NGO. When asked what MAP could do to improve, Ms. Alavi said that “it’s a shame more people don’t know about our work.” The group, therefore, has a commitment to hosting events like the gala and has also recently hired a marketing and social media coordinator to help spread awareness of their endeavors.

MAP Student Squad is a group of young men and women who help implement relief efforts and is a recent addition to the organization’s operations. “We believe that in every way, today’s youth are the key to the future,” Sam Alavi added, and the expected tasks of these high school and college students are multifaceted, preparing the young minds for a potential future in humanitarian aid. These volunteers must get one of their school’s organizations involved in fundraising for MAP, prepare/guide an annual fundraising event, attend biweekly meetings with directors and dedicate two to three hours a week to their role along with other things of the sort.