The Bolsa Familia Program and its applicability in developing countries

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• The Bolsa Familia Program and its applicability
  in developing countries

Patrus Ananias de Sousa Ministry of Social
Development and Fight against Hunger Federative
Republic of Brazil
Montreal, Canada June 11, 2008
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BRAZIL Population 184 million people Area 8.5
million km² 26 states, 5,563 municipalities and
the Federal District GDP (2006) US 1.5
billion HDI 0.8 Poverty rate (2006) 19.3 (36
million people) Gini coefficient (2006) 0.56
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Zero Hunger

• Launched as a government priority in January
  2003
• Multisectorial strategy based on the guarantee
  of the Human Right to Adequate food and
  nutrition
• It encompasses various programs and actions,
  enabling synergy among the public policies and
  the actions by the civil society
• It contributes to the eradication of extreme
  poverty and also to the enfranchisement of the
  population most vulnerable to hunger.

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Ministry of Social Development and Fight against
Hunger (MDS)

• Created in January 2004
• Coordination of food and nutrition security
  actions, social assistance and conditioned cash
  transfer
• Structuring of integrated public policy systems
• Single Social Assistance System (SUS)
• National System on Food and Nutrition Security
  (SISAN)

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Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS)

• It establishes social assistance as a rights
  ensuring public policy
• It integrates social protection and promotion
  programs and actions within the three government
  levels, coordinating the actions in a
  hierarchical and territorialized perspective, in
  order to ensure the right to social assistance
  nationwide

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Permanent Monetary Benefit for the Elderly and
Disabled in Poverty

• Called BPC in Portuguese, this benefit does not
  requires previous contribution and it was
  introduced by the Federal Constitution of 1988
• It grants one minimum salary (US 250) every
  month, to elderly (over 65) or disabled persons
  who are unable to work and that belong to
  families with a monthly per capita income less
  than ¼ of the minimum wage (US 63)
• 1,4 million disabled persons and 1,3 million
  elderly persons received this benefit
• The budget for 2007 was U 7,8 billion

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National System on Food and Nutrition Security
(SISAN)

• Instituted in 2006 by federal law
• It encompasses intersectorial programs and
  actions for the promotion of the human right to
  adequate food and nutrition.
• It includes, along other actions
• Local equipment to facilitate access to food and
  water (low-income restaurants, food banks,
  community kitchens, cisterns)
• Policies for food supply, land reform, school
  meals, healthy food, etc.
• Policies for the strengthening of family
  agriculture (financing, technical assistance and
  guaranteed purchase).

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Bolsa Familia Program

• Conditioned cash transfer program, launched in
  October 2003.
• One of the main amassing axis in the Brazilian
  social protection and promotion network.
• Present in all 5,563 Brazilian municipalities and
  the Federal District.
• Benefits around 45 million poor people.
• Budget expected for 2008 US 6.4 billion (0.35
  of the GDP).
• Low operating costs 5 of the program budget
• Instituted by Federal Law and regulated by
  various normative instruments.

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Bolsa Familia Program

• The beneficiary selection is done by way of
  computer procedures, using predefined criteria
  and the data in the Single Registry for the
  Social Programs in the Federal Government
  (CadÚnico).
• The benefits are paid by the Federal Government
  directly to the families, who can withdraw them
  monthly from the Banking System or other partner
  establishments, by means of a magnetic card.

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Financial Benefit

• Composed of three elements
• (a) basic benefit (US 35.70) paid to families
  with monthly per capita income of up to US
  37.00, regardless of the number of children,
  adolescents or young adults
• (b) variable benefit (US 11.00) paid to
  families with monthly per capita income of up to
  US 74.00 per children or adolescents under 15
  years old (maximum of 3 benefits per family)
• (c) variable youth benefit paid to families with
  an income of up to US 74.00, where there are
  adolescents aged 16 and 17 years old attending
  school (maximum of 2 benefits per family)
• The value paid to families varies from US 11.00
  to US 106.00, depending on its size and poverty
  level.
• Average value US 46.00 per family

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Local management of the Bolsa Familia Program

• The municipal managers are responsible for
  identifying and registering the poor and
  extremely poor families in the municipality, as
  well as collecting and feeding the data into the
  Single Registry (CADÚNICO), by providing services
  and monitoring families in the areas of health,
  education and social assistance.
• The Federal Government gives financial support to
  the municipalities, helping them fulfill their
  task by means of transfers, which are calculated
  based on the number of benefited families and on
  the Index of Decentralized Management (IGD),
  which takes into consideration the quality of the
  information in the Single Registry and the
  monitoring of the health and education
  conditionalities.
• In 2007, US 142 million were transferred to the
  municipalities in order to support the local
  management of the Bolsa Familia Program.

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Bolsa Familia and the promotion of the
citizenship rights

• Bolsa Familia Program serves as a strategic axis
  for the integration of policies and actions that
  are part of the Brazilian social protection and
  promotion network, it contributes to ensure the
• Right to income
• Right to decent work
• Right to food
• Right to health
• Right to education

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Conditionalities

• Responsibility shared among the families and the
  public power, in order to break the
  intergenerational poverty cycle.
• When requiring that families keep their children
  in school and fulfill an agenda of basic health
  care for pregnant women and children, the program
  seeks to expand its capacities of the future
  generations, presenting a sustainable alternative
  of emancipating people from poverty.

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Bolsa Familia - Conditionalities

• Counterparts that families must fulfill in order
  to receive the benefit
• Monitoring of nutrition and health for pregnant
  women and children from 0 to 6 years old
• School attendance
• over 85 for children and adolescents from 6 to
  15 years old
• over 75 for adolescents aged 16 and 17 years
  old
• Social and educational activities for children
  in child labor situation of (PETI)

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Bolsa Familia as an integrator of opportunities
for inclusion

• The social and economic data in the Single
  Registry enables us to identify the families and
  their characteristics, potentials, needs and,
  thus, to plan the public services according to
  their profile, contributing to their autonomy and
  emancipation. Some examples
• Literacy courses for adults
• Low-income housing
• Professional qualification
• Access to electric energy
• Actions directed to the generation of income and
  insertion in the labor market

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Evaluation and Monitoring

• Priority is given to the continuous evaluation
  and monitoring of the actions carried out by the
  Ministry of Social Development and Fight against
  Hunger
• Orientation for program adjustments whenever
  necessary and to publicize the results of the
  social investments to society.
• A number of impact and monitoring researches of
  the Bolsa Família Program are being carried out
  by the Ministry of Social Development and Fight
  against Hunger and also by research
  establishments and international cooperation
  institutions.

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Results

•  Researches show that the Bolsa Familia Program
  has been producing immediate and significant
  effects upon the living conditions of the poor
  population.
• Promotion of food and nutrition security
• Reduction of poverty and inequality
• Reduction of child malnutrition
• Dynamism of local economies
• Access to the basic consumption goods that
  enhance life quality and self-esteem

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Final remarks

• The Bolsa Familia Program must not be seen as a
  self-sufficient strategy to reduce poverty and
  inequality.
• Its results can only be properly put into
  perspective when considered in its insertion in a
  wider network of social protection and promotion
  in Brazil.
• There still are great challenges to be overcome
  in order for us to achieve a level of social
  justice that guarantees equal rights and
  opportunities.
• Poverty and hunger eradication must be a solidary
  compromise among the international community.

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• Thank you!
• Patrus Ananias de Sousa
• Ministry of Social Development and Fight against
  Hunger in Brazil
• e.mail ministro.mds_at_mds.gov.br
• www.mds.gov.br
• www.fomezero.gov.br
• 55 (61) 3433-1001