
SolidarityNow implements the Cash4Solidarity program for the beneficiaries of
its Home for Hope program
SolidarityNow supports the most vulnerable people in any way. How? By strengthening, empowering, and enabling them to take back control over their lives, with dignity and self-sufficiency.
To achieve this objective, SolidarityNow is implementing the cash transfer project|Cash4Solidarity, for all the beneficiaries of its Hosting and Accommodation “Home for Hope” project, with the support of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and funded by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid.
The cash transfer project via the use of prepaid cards|Cash4Solidarity, which since November 2016 to April 2017 is implemented in collaboration with Western Union, goes a step further than simply providing in-kind support to the refugees. Through this program, the beneficiaries are provided with the freedom of choice to allocate the assistance provided where they deem most appropriate, based on their actual needs, thus strengthening their self-confidence while also supporting a smooth integration pathway towards an autonomous life.
From November 2016 to date, almost 900 prepaid cards have been distributed, to support more than 2,100 SolidarityNow beneficiaries, who are being accommodated in the various facilities of the organization.
All the beneficiaries hosted in SolidarityNow accommodation structures are eligible to receive assistance through Cash4Solidarity – as each individual or family unit receives one prepaid card, with the amount provided determined solely based on:
- the number of the family members and
- the type of the accommodation structure (catered versus non-catered facilities)
The total amount provided so far (November 2016 – April 2017) to support this vulnerable population through the Cash4Solidarity program has surpassed 670,000€, with 82€ provided on average per beneficiary/month.
In the scope of the Cash4Solidarity project and in order to educate beneficiaries on the use of the prepaid cards and the ATM machines, SolidarityNow has put in place a multilevel awareness and informational campaign that includes:
- information sessions with audio-visual content for our beneficiaries, to provide all the necessary instructions for the everyday use of the cards
- multilingual informational leaflets
- design and launch of a dedicated Cash4Solidarity microsite and
- dedicated support services to all cardholders, provided through specialized SolidarityNow teams.
The positive impact of the Cash4Solidarity program is multifold and relates both to the beneficiaries directly, as well as to the local communities where the hosting and accommodation structures are situated. Associated benefits include, among others:
- being able to directly meet the actual and shifting needs of the refugees
- being able to cover special dietary needs (due to health problems, or different culture)
- supporting the local economy, as the funds are being spent on the local market
- contributing to the change of the paradigm for the refugees, by local population
- contributing towards the social integration of the refugee population, by empowering individuals to make their own decisions for their own lives.
“In SolidarityNow we advocate for the closure of the refugee camps and the relocation of people to the mainland, in urban accommodation structures and under conditions of normality and co-existence with the local population; the Cash4Solidarity program is the vehicle to provide what is needed the most: enhancement of their dignity. It supports freedom of choice. By supporting their dignity and self-confidence, we take the first step towards their social integration – regardless of whether they leave for another EU member-state or stay in Greece – to take back control over their own lives“, said Epaminondas Farmakis, Managing Director of SolidarityNow.
SolidarityNow aims to expand the Cash4Solidarity program, giving access to all vulnerable population groups – Greeks, refugees, migrants, asylum seekers – with the sole criterion being their vulnerability.
*The prepaid cards program | Cash4Solidarity is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNHCR and funding by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid.