E-food card Programme: Assisting refugees in camps in Turkey
E-food card Programme: Assisting refugees in camps in Turkey
Turkey continues to be the country hosting the greatest number of refugees in the world, almost four million people. Of these, 3.6 million are Syrian while the rest are from other countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. By March 2019, around 140,000 of the most vulnerable refugees, mostly Syrians, are housed by the Government of Turkey in camps across the southeast region. WFP partners with the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) to provide them with e-voucher assistance in camps. The programme started in 2012 when, for the first time, WFP used e-voucher assistance from the onset of an emergency. Each household receives a card, topped up monthly with 50 Turkish Liras per person. These are redeemable in participating shops in exchange for food, giving beneficiaries choice and restoring independence to their lives. The Government of Turkey manages the camps and provides an additional monthly voucher worth 50 Turkish Liras for both food and non-food needs. Since 2012, WFP has injected USD 217 million into the Turkish economy through the e-Food Card Programme.