EU launches large cash aid project for refugees in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey — The European Union on Monday launched a 348 million-euro ($391 million) aid project to help up to a million of the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey — part of a landmark EU deal with Turkey aimed at curbing the flow of migrants to Europe.
The refugees, living outside of camps, are to receive debit cards that will allow them to buy their own food and pay for other basic needs. The cards would be topped up monthly, with payments dependent on the size and needs of the families. The program has been billed as the EU’s largest humanitarian program.
“I am here today in person to demonstrate that the EU stands with Turkey, “said EU Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Commissioner Christos Stylianides at the program’s launch.
“An unprecedented crisis requires an unprecedented response,” Stylianides said. “We are launching a ground-breaking humanitarian program to respond to this crisis.”