More than 810,000 Syrian refugees across Turkey are benefiting from 'Kızılay Cards,' the Turkish Red Crescent's Director of Immigration and Refugee Services Bayram Selvi said Tuesday.
The Kızılay Card is a special debit card for refugees, financed by the European Union and implemented by the Turkish Red Crescent, also known as 'Kızılay.' The program that distributes the cards is believed to be the EU's largest-ever humanitarian program. Under the program, each refugee registered under the regional migration office will be given a stipend of 100 Turkish liras ($30) a month.
Selvi stated that the money began being loaded in January under the framework of the 'Social Alignment Assistance Program for Foreigners.'
"At the start of every month we transfer 100 TL per person. Every month the number of beneficiaries increases as we receive applications on daily basis," Selvi said.
According to Selvi, 507,321 Syrian refugees are signed up with the new social integration assistance program, while 150,000 Syrians benefit from old programs inside refugee camps, and just as many outside the camps.
"A total of 810,000 Syrians benefit from the Kızılay Card program every month. It is a great pleasure and honor for us," Selvi said.
Turkey is home to nearly three million "registered" Syrian people, according to the Directorate General of Migration Management's 2016 report. This number accounts for around 45 percent of all Syrian refugees in the region, according to the U.N.
