On any given day, we shop for items we want and need: food for dinner that we find tasty and traditional or warm clothes for the winter that we find practical and attractive. Most of us have options with regard to what we purchase — choices that we often take for granted.
In Greece, the Red Cross has launched a new cash assistance programme in partnership with the Greek government and other organizations to ensure that migrants can also make choices and buy the things they need the most.
Many people who have fled war, persecution and poverty have to rely on humanitarian aid for months, if not years. They eat what is given to them, wear clothing that is donated and live in shelter that is provided. Not being able to make decisions for yourself and your family can erode dignity over time.
In December, the Red Cross began coordinating with partners to provide pre-paid cards to more than 3,000 people living in camps across Greece and that number is expected to increase significantly in 2017. The cash assistance is available for all migrants and refugees who have registered for asylum. It’s made possible with funding from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department.
The pre-paid cards are topped up monthly so that people can buy what they need when they need it– be it food, medicine, clothes, mobile phone credit or public transport tickets.
Cash assistance of this kind allows people to make their own choices and at the same time, restores dignity and independence at a time when people have little control over their futures. It has the additional benefit of reducing waste and duplication which can occur during traditional relief distributions.
Cash assistance can also contribute to the resources people need to move out of camp facilities and into longer-term and more comfortable accommodation. Poor living conditions in camps combined with exhaustion, desperation and frustration are taking an enormous physical and mental health toll on migrants. The Red Cross is strongly advocating for better and alternative housing for migrants in Greece given longer stays in the country.
In addition to cash assistance, the Greek Red Cross is also providing medical services and psychosocial support to migrants, reconnecting separated family members, improving hygiene and sanitation conditions in camps and providing crucial information that can impact the lives and decisions of migrants.
