Although the numbers vary according to which newspaper you read, somewhere between 615,000 and 800,000 of the poorest families in the Dominican Republic will start receiving what are being called “Solidarity Cards”, a type of debit card that can be used in the “Comer is primero” (Eating comes first), “Tarjeta de Assitencia Escolar” (Scholastic Assistance Card) programs as well as in the propane gas focus groups. According to Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, the government, with the help of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) selected the BanReservas, the Cibao Savings and Loan Association, the Popular Savings and Loan Association and La Nacional Savings and Loan Association to issue the cards.
The cards will be interest free debit cards, and can be used to obtain foodstuff at local markets and corner stores. No alcohol or tobacco can be purchased with the cards. According to Hoy, NGOs, churches of all denominations and community-based organizations have carried out the census to identify the beneficiaries, deemed the poorest of the poor, many of whom have no identity papers, not even birth certificates. According to the Vice President, there were no political parameters regarding the selection of the beneficiaries.