Country
Turkey

Local project partner
Ministry of National Education

German project partner
n.n.

Donator
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Duration
20 September 2017 to 20 September 2018
(Overall project term)

Description Around three million refugees are currently living in Turkey, most of them Syrians. Almost all of them are housed in local communities, often in urban conurbations. Refugees’ prime concerns include access to health care, education and work. This poses a considerable set of challenges for the Turkish authorities, whose initial focus on humanitarian aid has since switched to the long-term integration of refugees in local communities. Consequently, financial integration has also become more important. Refugees and locals from more economically disadvantaged circles have low levels of financial and entrepreneurial literacy, also because local financial institutions barely make any effort to promote them. The development goal is, thus, to assist refugees with their integration in their host communities and to offer them and their host communities financial and entrepreneurship education.

Sparkassenstiftung’s project is embedded in a GIZ project geared to integrating refugees in the dual vocational education system in Turkey. Here Turkish vocational apprentices, and those with a refugee background, undergo financial and business training designed to empower them to make competent financial decisions and harness financial services. Support is also directed at the entrepreneurial activities these target groups pursue.