Turkey increases social charity budget to over 20 billion liras

Neşe Karanfil ANKARA

DHA Photo

Turkey has increased its social charity aid budget by more than 15 in the past 11 years, increasing the country’s total aid budget to over 20 billion Turkish Liras as of 2013.

The Family and Social Policies Ministry is distributing social aid to more than 3 million families across Turkey. In 2002, Turkey spent 1.3 million liras on social aid, while in 2013 this increased to more than 20 billion liras.

Around 0.50 percent of the national income was spent on social aid in 2012, this rate increased to 1.35 percent in 2013.

Despite an increase in social aid over the past decade, Turkey lags behind other European Union countries, where an average of 2.5 percent of national income is spent on social aid.

In total, around 3.1 million families were given social aid in Turkey in 2013.

The Social Solidarity Foundation provided permanent aid to 2.2 million people and temporary aid to 1.9 million people. The organization provides help to those in need while ministries also contribute by providing education in certain areas and distributing coal to those in need.

Social aid covers several other areas, including family, education, health, the elderly and disability.

Apart from the ministries budgets, municipalities also oversee the distribution of such aid. The Ankara Municipality distributes coal to around 90,000 families and other forms of aid, such as food, clothing, education materials and cleaning materials for households.

The Family and Social Policies Ministry released its budget and expectations report, citing its planned budget:

- 208.3 million liras for 1.6 million students as part of conditional cash transfers;
- 86.5 million liras for the health expenses of 585,098 children;
- 5.1 million liras for the health checks of 53,920 women while they are pregnant;
- 192 million liras for 264,580 women who have become widows;
- 61.4 million liras to the families who are in need and whose sons are serving in the military;
- 971 million liras for 18,686 residences as part of Social Residence Project;
- 3.2 billion liras for 1.1 elderly and disabled people;
- 43 million liras for food aid to 670,464 people before religious festivals, such as Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice; and
- 27.2 million liras for the education expenses of children.