Turkey has embarked on the final phase of a three-step plan in order to reach out to millions of impoverished households forced into self-isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services has launched the third phase of its “social support program” to provide families with a TL 1,000 ($143) boost in aid. The cash aid is part of a larger economic stability program by the government to address the fallout from the pandemic that dealt a blow to livelihoods.
The ministry has already delivered cash aid to some 4.4 million households since the beginning of April. The first two stages of the program covered low-income families, but the final stage is open to all to apply, with the exception of those benefiting from existing aid programs by the state.
Apart from direct cash aid, the state is also providing short-term employment allowance to millions whose working hours have been curtailed due to ongoing anti-viral restrictions.
Another project from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services was also put into action recently. The country's Vefa Social Support groups, originally conceived of as a group available to assist the elderly and chronically ill, is now an integral part of nationwide efforts to help destitute citizens. They regularly provide services, from grocery shopping to harvesting their fields, for millions of citizens aged 65 and above ordered to stay home.
