The right to dream: A cross-sectional look at poverty alleviation programs.

Studies on social programs reveal the absence of a cross-sectional perspective capable of identifying common aspects that improve the living conditions of their participants while also contributing to poverty alleviation. To detect such elements, we examined the transformations in the experiences and meanings associated with poverty and its alleviation by conducting semistructured interviews and focus groups with participants and intervention team members that implemented six social programs in Chile and Peru. We conducted a descriptive and relational analysis guided by Grounded Theory, which revealed three overarching elements: notions of poverty, notions of the overcoming of poverty, and changes necessary for overcoming poverty.