Deep Poverty Network (DPN) deals with poverty in a multi-dimensional way, as a phenomenon which restricts individuals’ access to basic rights and needs, as well as impeding their access to economic, social, politic and cultural rights. Accordingly, the Guiding Principles of DPN are;
1. Adopting a rights-based approach: Deep poverty is essentially a matter of inequality and human rights. For this reason, DPN emphasized the necessity of extending social support to those fighting deep poverty in a rights-based approach. Instead of hierarchical concepts such as benevolence and aid, we believe in the importance of concepts such as solidarity and access to human rights.
2. Solidarity: Deep Poverty Network believes in the power of solidarity. We strive to act as a bridge between supporters and those who fight deep poverty and those who live in poverty, in a bid to enable access to basic rights and needs of those who live in poverty, as well as supporting their empowerment.
3. Sustainability: Deep poverty is an amalgamation of long-lasting scarcity of income, deprivation of access to basic rights and needs as well as social exclusion.Under these conditions, individuals’s access to their rights in the foreseeable future is severely at risk and deep poverty is handed down from one generation to the next.DPN believes that fight against poverty can only be realized through sustainable policy changes designed to release individuals from the spiral of poverty.
4. Urgency: Conditions imposed by poverty violate right to life and development, two of the most fundamental rights, as these conditions prevent access to sufficient food, drinking water, basic hygiene and safety, education as well as psychosocial needs. This situation harms individuals’ physical and emotional well-being, and inflict irrevocable damage especially in child development. For this reason, Deep Poverty Network urges local authorities and the central government bodies to ensure access to basic rights and needs as a matter of urgency for those who live in deep poverty, in addition to sustainable policy changes.
5. Protecting Human Dignity: DPN believes in the importance of looking out for rights, freedoms and dignity of individuals in the provision of social aid to those in need, as well as making such efforts more widespread in the wider community. DPN opposes objectification of the fight against poverty of individuals in the name of interests of any sort.
6. Participation: Deep Poverty Network believes that fight against poverty can be achieved through sustainable policy changes that involve those who experience poverty directly and on a local as well as central level, paying attention to the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. Deep Poverty Network also believes that those who experience conditions imposed by poverty as well as those who will be directly affected by these policies and NGOs working in this field should be involved in the policy making processes.
7. Open Space: DPN is comprised of volunteers, supporters, employees and those who fight poverty. Ideas generated by these components are fed into the functioning of DPN.
8. Transparency and accountability: DPN aims at achieving accountability and transparency in its activities and and budget utilization
