Prepaid debit cards for a million refugees in Turkey

A group of NGOs have launched a new project that will provide pre-paid debit cards to a million refugees living Turkey.

Each card will provide the carrier with 100 Turkish lira per month and enable refugees – mostly escapees from the civil war in Syria – to by food, heath services or other essential items.

According to, Kerem Kinik a spokesman for the Turkish Red Crescent, a co-sponsor of the project, who was speaking at an event on Monday in Ankara,

This is a project for a social safety net that is a good example for the world

The project is worth about € 350 million and part of € 6-billion aid from the EU to Turkey. It is supported by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, and the UN World Food Programme.