About EHYA

The Society for the Protection and Assistance of Socially Disadvantaged Individuals (SPASDI) has been established to respond to the alarming rise in the number of victims of social disadvantages and disorders in Iran such as poverty, addiction, prostitution, homelessness, divorce and AIDS. SPASDI is a non-governmental and non-profit organization founded in 1999 whose mission is to help prevent social disorders, protect the foundation of the family and offer support to vulnerable individuals and families who are victims of social disadvantages.

We offer various Community Based Rehabilitation services (CBR) aimed at containing social disorders and enhancing effective emergency involvement, by pursuing four general lines of activity:

1.  Awareness raising and public outreach: increasing social awareness and promoting dialogue on social issues in society, while giving input on policy making issues.

2.  Community support, engagement & empowerment: motivating and actively engaging people to take action to change their own conditions, including social work and capacity development activities.

3.  Network development and partnerships: promoting cooperation among all civil society partners to contain social disorders and reduce damage to vulnerable individuals, especially women and children.

4.  Learning, research and development: learning about new methods and new initiatives in community development, supporting and carrying out social research on new prevention methods, while developing the infrastructure required for carrying out our activities more effectively.

The organization relies on professional social workers and other community service enthusiasts, most of whom are self-motivated volunteers. Our members have many years of experience in working with prisoners, orphanages, city councils, universities, hospitals and charity centers. The organization has also created a wide national and international network, including relevant government organizations, UN agencies, other NGOs/CBOs, qualified experts (including university professors and social researchers), in addition to artists and private sector companies.

In addition to its intrinsic duties stated in its articles of association, SPASDI has also played an active role in offering help to the victims of the Bam earthquake by being directly present in the region since Dec 2003.