Together We Stand

[ 145 ] The structure and services provided in the accommodation centres in Turkey received very positive reviews from the international community. Since 2011 the Syrian people, who were forced from their homes, have been taken into temporary protection inside accommodation centres estab- lished in the south-east of Turkey. These are deployed mostly throughout the Turkish-Syrian borderline. Roughly 273,000 Syrians are still being hosted in those camps. Accommodation centres were chosen by stakehold- ers as the starting point for the Kizilaykart programme because it is much easier for any sort of project to access to those who live in fixed locations. As mentioned above, the in-camp implementation started in 2012 at the Kilis Accommodation Centre, and expanded gradually to all 21 camps, upon positive feedback received from beneficiaries. However, in February 2015, WFP announced funding shortfalls and a 70 per cent implementation rate across the region. The number of camps covered by the programme therefore reduced to 11, and the Government of Turkey took over the rest of the camps with its own smartcard (AFAD Card) programme. As of March 2016, the programme is active in 11 camps: Harran, Virans¸ehir, Akçakale and Ceylanpınar (S¸ anlıurfa); Beydag˘ ı (Malatya); Adıyaman (Adıyaman); Kahramanmaras¸ (Kahramanmaras¸ ); Cevdetiye (Osmaniye); Sarıçam (Adana); Karkamıs¸ and | ˙ slahiye (Gaziantep). A total of 153,949 Syrians benefit from the programme and more than YTL336 million has been uploaded to cards since the beginning of the programme. While all the projects started in camps, it became inevita- ble for all humanitarian agencies to expand their projects/ activities to urban areas with the goal of reaching more bene- ficiaries. More than 90 per cent of Syrians in Turkey live in urban areas. For this reason, the Kizilaykart programme was extended to urban areas in June 2015, in strong collabora- tion with DGMM. As of March 2016, the programme is active in Gaziantep, S¸ anlıurfa, Hatay, Kilis and Kahramanmaras¸. The same procedure is followed on both beneficiary selection and card uploads (YTL50 per person per month) in order to avoid any type of duplication or discrimination. With the support of DGMM, TRC works hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies to identify the most vulnerable Syrians and conduct door-to-door visits. The identification process still continues and the expansion of the programme will be pursued in different provinces in the near future. As of March 2016, there are 90,395 Syrians benefiting from the programme in urban areas. The majority of the beneficiaries are women, both in camp and off-camp areas, with 51.23 per cent women and 48.77 per cent men in camps and 52.17 per cent women and 47.83 per cent men in urban areas. In order to better serve beneficiaries by receiving their complaints, questions and/or feedback related to their cards, a call centre (Info-Line) was established in Gaziantep in 2015. Info-Line provides services in Arabic and Turkish languages between the 9.00am and 6.00pm, completely free of charge. The questions received by the TRC Info-Line operators relate mainly to balance problems, application demands, market complaints, lost, broken or cancelled card notifications and pin-code fails. TRC, as a part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has a responsibility to give aid regard- less of the race, creed or nationality of the recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind. A delicate and unique service system is needed in order to protect human dignity and address the true needs of beneficiaries. It is commonly accepted that e-vouchers and smart cards are the most effec- tive way to assist vulnerable people around the globe. The implementation of e-vouchers requires less logistics cost in comparison with conventional methods of food delivery, such as providing hot meal or food parcels. This has provides an advantage of being able to allocate a greater proportion of money for end users, namely beneficiaries, rather than for operations, thereby increasing the efficiency of the operation. In an analogous way, as proven by the beneficiary surveys and interviews, the Kizilaykart programme is the most satisfying means for the Syrian people living in Turkey. The Kizilaykart programme also contributes to the local economy through marketing and consumption activities, so its impact on the host communities is more positive than other conventional methods of food provision. What matters the most is that Kizilaykart helps people to develop self-reliance and self-esteem. The beneficiaries no longer see themselves as refugees or foreigners, but as guests in a neighbouring country, who are free to make their own decisions without being constrained by an outer control mechanism. Kizilaykart distribution in camps Image: TRC T ogether W e S tand