C-ESSN Findings of Post Distribution Monitoring Survey (PDM) Round 4 – Türkiye

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Notably, starting from November 2021, Türkiye’s economic picture has been undergoing changes, typified by a significant and steady increase in the annual inflation rate, but it is remarkable to highlight that the global economy is also grappling with severe economic crises. Nevertheless, it is essential to stress that it emerged against the backdrop of global crises that have been ongoing since 2018 and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing trends all over the world have put significant pressure on the cost of living, particularly affecting basic expenditures such as food, housing and utilities. Moreover, the country’s national economy was adversely influenced by the catastrophic and fierce Kahramanmaras earthquakes and other devastating global disasters.

The immediate impact was deeply felt in the directly affected provinces, while reverberations spread to indirectly affected regions. These seismic events have revealed a new economic layer affecting Türkiye’s economic stability. Despite these efforts, economic flactuations persist, as witnessed globally, and continue to test the resilience of Türkiye’s economic structure.

Türkiye currently hosts 4 million vulnerable people as a response, the Government of Türkiye offers temporary or international protection, while also ensuring that once they are registered with the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM), people are granted access to essential services such as healthcare and education.

To support the Government’s efforts, the Complementary ESSN (C-ESSN) Project intends to improve the living standards of the most vulnerable people under Temporary and International Protection as well as Humanitarian Residence Permit holders and International Protection applicants in Türkiye through the provision of regular cash assistance to cover their basic needs. By issuing a debit card (KIZILAYKART) to beneficiary households, the Project ensures a fixed monthly cash assistance. The Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS) will be the primary proponent of this Project, with financial backing from the European Union (EU). Türk Kızılay (Turkish Red Crescent) will participate collaboratively as the secondary proponent.

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of KIZILAYKART cash assistance and the Kahramanmaras earthquakes on the socio-economic conditions of most vulnerable households with a particular focus on their level of expenditure, income, debt, coping mechanisms, and food consumption patterns. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and observe changes in newly arisen vulnerabilities after earthquakes.

Objectives of the study include measuring the degree to which basic necessities like food, rent, utilities, non-food items (NFI), health, education, etc. are satisfied. Secondly, the study aims to determine how income, debt, and expenditure values are critical in comprehending the economic resilience of households. Thirdly, it seeks to gauge the severity of coping strategies applied in case of having economic/ financial difficulties. The fourth focus is to analyse the security of food consumption habits, and finally, to assess the impact of earthquakes on the households living standards.