In December 2016, the European Union and its partners rolled-out a ground-breaking project to help more than 1.3 million of the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey, with an initial budget of €348 million. The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) is a unique project funded through the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) with the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), working hand-in-hand with the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and the Government of Turkey to implement a monthly unconditional cash transfer via a debit card to the most vulnerable refugees. Since the national launch took place in December 2016, over 500,000 people are now benefiting from this scheme which allows them to use the monthly cash grant to cover their most urgent needs, such as food, rent, utilities or clothing.