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Most of the Syrians residing in Turkey, particularly in Urfa, are living from hand to mouth. They are dependent on relief aid since only a minority of them are employed. The Turkish authority has given them a card by which they can benefit from the aid. However, the authority is now studying the conditions of the Syrian refugees again so as to deliver the card to the most needy among them.
Abu Abdullah, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, was asked about the measures and bases upon which Turkey will determine the beneficiaries of the relief aid. He said, ‘Normally, they will see if a family has someone helping them or not, or if some of its members is handicapped. Maybe, widows and orphans could be prioritized. Most of the recently arrived families have not gotten the Red Crescent card and they are still waiting for a confirmation message from the authority.’
The distribution of the relief cards has been random. Many poor families have been overlooked while some, who are in a better situation, were among the beneficiaries.
Abu Idriss, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey who has four disabled children and a young son able to work, had his application for the card rejected. 80 percent of the Syrian families living in Urfa, where job opportunities are scarce, are going through the same situation.
An employee in Urfa said that, ‘ The authority is addressing the conditions of every family once again. There is a possibility that most of them will be given the card. However, the amount of money, which is supposed to be 100 Turkish lira, could be reduced to 65 for every family.’
A father of a Syrian family was asked about the relief organizations operating in the city and how they distribute their relief aid to them. He stated that, ‘there is no cooperation between those organizations and the distribution of humanitarian aid is always random.