The Turkish city of Istanbul has announced a monthly support payment of 2,000 Turkish lira for students from low-income families, which can be used to purchase food and other necessities from their school cafeterias.
The support is part of the “Gönülden Bir Öğün” (A Meal from the Heart) project and is provided through the Kantin Kart system, in cooperation with the Istanbul Governor’s Office, the Istanbul Children’s Foundation, the Directorate of Education, and social solidarity and assistance institutions.
The Kantin Kart is a card provided to students identified as coming from families in need according to the criteria set by the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations (SYDV).
A total of 2,000 Turkish lira is loaded onto the card every month, allowing students to use it to buy their needs from the school cafeteria.
If more than one eligible student lives in the same family, each student can receive a separate card as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.
It is worth noting that the main requirement is for the student to come from a family considered to be in need according to the criteria of the Sosyal Yardımlaşma ve Dayanışma Vakfı (SYDV).
Among the groups given priority under the project are orphans, students with disabilities, families where one or both parents have disabilities, children whose parents are separated, families with a parent in prison, and children living with foster families, in addition to students facing difficult social and economic circumstances and students attending vocational schools.
The authorities did not state that Turkish citizenship is a separate requirement for receiving the support. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül also mentioned that children from Gaza are among the beneficiaries, indicating that the project is not limited to Turkish students only.
