Abstract

Rural micro-employment is one of the most important strategies for reducing poverty, preventing migration, and increasing social resilience in rural areas. Given the extensive investment of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee (RA) in Kurdistan Province and the existence of various weaknesses and challenges in the sustainability of these projects, it is necessary to deeply examine the areas affecting their continuity and success. The main goal of this research is to identify the dimensions, factors, and social and cultural areas affecting the sustainability of rural micro-employment projects from the perspective of clients and stakeholders. The research method is qualitative with a thematic analysis approach. The statistical population included experts and specialists in the field of rural employment and social development in Kurdistan Province, and sampling was carried out purposefully until theoretical saturation was reached, and finally 20 people (including managers of the relief committee, experts, project implementers, and university professors) were selected. The data collection tool was semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions, the validity of which was confirmed by CVR and CVI methods. The results showed that five main categories including: 1) social contexts (such as family support and local networking), 2) cultural contexts (cultural attitudes and local identity), 3) demographic contexts (age, education, and migration), 4) relief committee supports (financial facilities, training, and supervision), and 5) strategies to increase sustainability (networking, continuous education, and cultural motivation) play a key role in the sustainability of projects. Strengthening institutional and cultural supports based on the social and demographic conditions of villages, along with continuous training and networking, can lead to increased sustainability of rural employment projects.