EU to issue pre-paid cash cards for refugees in Turkey
The EU has launched a 348-million-euro ($392m) programme that will distribute monthly electronic cash grants to benefit a million refugees in Turkey, as part of a deal in which Ankara pledged to curb the number of people trying to enter Europe, Aljazeera writes.
According to the source, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), launched on Monday, will give refugees pre-paid cards to use for their expenses in Turkey. The refugees will be able to use the cards in shops or institutions to pay for food, education, housing and clothing, or also to withdraw cash from ATMs.
Each card will be automatically topped up with 100 Turkish lira ($33.50) a month, giving people the chance to choose their own purchases.
“Today we launch the biggest and largest humanitarian project the EU has ever supported. It will provide a basic source of income for one million Syrian refugees,” the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said at a news conference.