{"id":11826,"date":"2013-10-25T17:42:48","date_gmt":"2013-10-25T20:42:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=11826"},"modified":"2022-10-19T11:38:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T14:38:35","slug":"community-leaders-reflect-on-a-decade-of-bolsa-familia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=11826","title":{"rendered":"Community Leaders Reflect on a Decade of Bolsa Fam\u00edlia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In 2003, President Luiz Ignacio “Lula” da Silva launched the Bolsa Fam\u00edlia program to promote social progress for impoverished families. This and other programs were implemented in an effort to decrease Brazil\u2019s infamously high inequality. At the time Brazil consistently occupied the first, second or third position as the world’s most unequal country. Incorporating what were previously four distinct programs under the umbrella of the Ministry of Social Development, this social program has become renowned as one of the most successful in reducing poverty rates not only in Brazil but worldwide. Bolsa Fam\u00edlia\u2019s wide appraisal led to its expansion in 2008, and today around 22 million families access its benefits. Today, Brazil occupies the position of seventeenth most unequal economy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What is Bolsa Fam\u00edlia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bolsa Fam\u00edlia<\/a>, or “Family Grant,” provides a basic income subsidy to the poorest families nationwide. The program provides a direct income transfer, on a conditional basis, stimulating an immediate alleviation of poverty; while other conditions, like the stipulation that children must be enrolled in school and cannot miss more than 15% of their classes, fight long-term poverty. As a result it combats poverty while simultaneously promoting access to public services, like education and health.<\/p>\n

How It Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

Participation in Bolsa Fam\u00edlia is based on a family\u2019s income. Those that qualify collect their specified amount of financial support on a Bolsa Fam\u00edlia card. This card can only be used to withdraw that specified amount of cash at a certain bank, and will only be allocated to the head of the household, with preference given to the woman of the house (mother or grandmother). Each household\u2019s benefits depend on the family\u2019s size, the children\u2019s ages, and the family\u2019s overall income. As the policy seeks to stimulate the use of education and health services, benefits can be revoked if, for example, a child\u2019s school attendance record fails to meet standards.<\/p>\n

What Beneficiaries Say<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking with community leaders from three very different favelas across Rio de Janeiro, the overall reaction to the program was extremely positive. Yet while the program has beneficiaries praising its success, community leaders are more critical of its potential in alleviating long-term poverty.<\/p>\n

Fogueteiro<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Located in Santa Teresa in central Rio, Fogueteiro<\/a> is a hillside community which had a violent history of drug trafficking before receiving the 15th Pacifying Police Unit (UPP)<\/a> in February 2011. The community started accepting benefits from Bolsa Fam\u00edlia when the program was launched in 2003. C\u00edntia Luna, President of Fogueteiro\u2019s Neighborhood Association, estimates that today around 70% of the community\u2019s families obtain benefits: \u201cIf your income qualifies, it is easy to access. However if you are even just R$20-30 above the income bracket, you will not.\u201d She complains that the strict system can either be impossible to access or as simple as registering, between two families with nearly identical monthly incomes. Although frustrated with that stringent divide, she applauds the program\u2019s success in helping such a high percentage of the community. C\u00edntia also reflects on the policy\u2019s main objective, that of combating poverty. C\u00edntia mentions some residents do abuse the program. In her opinion, a good number seek the Bolsa Fam\u00edlia income as a replacement for employment, fostering a dependency on government support.<\/p>\n

C\u00edntia also recognizes the developmental benefits of Bolsa Fam\u00edlia, praising the program\u2019s emphasis on school attendance. School attendance has increased substantially in Fogueteiro. She finds the monetary motivation to educate the new generation somewhat unsettling, however: \u201cBolsa Fam\u00edlia is a way for [the government] to force education. Some families have little interest in educating their children, so the government pays to stimulate that interest. Now [parents] have a reason to educate their children: money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asa Branca<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In Rio’s West Zone, Asa Branca<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0recently received municipal infrastructure investments <\/a>and\u00a0is a peaceful, low-lying community near the future Olympic Park. President of the Neighborhood Association, Carlos Alberto “Bezerra” Costa has only positive comments in regards to Bolsa Fam\u00edlia.<\/p>\n

Immediately after the launch in 2003, those who qualified sought benefits, and today, Bezerra estimates that 80% of Asa Branca obtain benefits from the program. The remaining 20%, he affirms, either successfully improved their economic situations or never needed assistance in the first place. Bezerra also points out a huge increase in social mobility: he himself requested to stop receiving the monthly allowance, as he no longer needed the extra support. \u201cThere is not a sentiment of wanting to be unemployed here. We want to work. Bolsa Fam\u00edlia helps keep us going when we are underemployed.\u201d He continues, proudly emphasizing the effects the program has had on the younger generation: \u201cThe children attend school. We do not see children roaming the street during the day. The parents now have a reason to keep their child in school, so the children stay in school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bezerra\u2019s perspective reflects an overall view of Bolsa Fam\u00edlia that is projected in both domestic and international press. According to a 2010 Economist<\/em> article<\/a>, \u201cby common consent the conditional cash-transfer program has been a stunning success and is wildly popular\u2026 It is, in the words of a former World Bank president, a \u2018model of effective social policy\u2019 and has been exported around the world.\u201d The program has indeed successfully reduced levels of poverty, as the number of impoverished families (monthly wage below R$800) has fallen more than 8% on a yearly basis since 2003.\u00a0However, Pica Pau Neighborhood Association President, Irenaldo Honorio da Silva, offers a different perspective on Bolsa Fam\u00edlia\u2019s true impact.<\/p>\n

Pica Pau<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Pica Pau<\/a>, a favela in Rio\u2019s North Zone with significant infrastructure issues<\/a>, has also been promised upgrading recently, under the municipal program Morar Carioca<\/a>\u00a0although this is currently stalled<\/a>.\u00a0Bolsa Fam\u00edlia, on the other hand, introduced to the community around 2009 (after the 2008 expansion), has been quite steady in its support to the community. According to Irenaldo, \u201cthose who need financial assistance will receive it. If you need support but have not obtained Bolsa Fam\u00edlia, it is probably due to a lack of documentation, or a child\u2019s poor attendance records at school. It is the family\u2019s problem, at least that is my opinion. If you want to receive Bolsa Fam\u00edlia, you will.\u201d However, according to Irenaldo, only 40% of Pica-Pau\u2019s families receive Bolsa Fam\u00edlia. This could be due to various factors; among them the relative newness of the program and thus lack of awareness, or low levels of school attendance.<\/p>\n

When asked directly what problems exist with Bolsa Fam\u00edlia, Irenaldo asserted that the program fails to sufficiently educate the community: \u201cDo you know how many students in school today, at 8, 9, 10 years old, cannot read or write? They cannot even write their own name! The problem is the\u00a0education<\/a>\u00a0system in Brazil. Kids cannot be sitting in a chair all day. Teach them to play an instrument. Teach them to sing. Theater, sports, give them a reason to go to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Irenaldo argues for the need to educate not only children, but the family as a whole. He stresses two points: \u201cThere is a lack of education and culture. Girls become mothers at 13 years old. A 20-year-old woman with no children is a rarity. If you want to eliminate poverty, increase education, modify culture\u2026 A country that invests in education and culture is a rich country. A country that fails to invest in these will be impoverished.\u201d Advancing Brazil\u2019s education will allow for the future generation to halt the cycle of poverty, and foster a culture of development of their socio-economic situations.<\/p>\n

Not only does Irenaldo suggest there is a lack of community education, he also criticizes the lack of financial education: \u201cTo be frank\u2026do you think families really buy what they should be buying? They do not. Do you think they care for their child better because they receive Bolsa Fam\u00edlia? We have children running the street without even flip flops on their feet.\u201d Due to Bolsa Fam\u00edlia and other government assistance programs, \u201cthe people have become comfortable, dependent, de-stimulated. If you do not stimulate the people, their situation will not change.\u201d Irenaldo\u2019s evaluation surpasses the immediate relief that Bolsa Fam\u00edlia may present, and recognizes the true underlying problem in impoverished communities: \u201cWe need to change the perspective of the people in the favelas, we have to change the education system<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The statistics indicating the success of Bolsa Fam\u00edlia cannot be ignored. Bolsa Fam\u00edlia has helped millions of people cope in dire economic conditions, while simultaneously promoting social services. It has reduced inequality across Brazil (see light green line on graph). Yet Irenaldo points to a clear limitation: the quality of education, for students already enrolled in school, needs improving, as evidenced by recent reports that illiteracy in Brazil<\/a> has increased for the first time since 1998. The breadth of education, too, must reach the community as a whole, in order to attain sustainable community development. Without a strong educational system, Bolsa Fam\u00edlia may ultimately fail to achieve its long-term goal of reducing poverty. And in Rio de Janeiro, where inequality has not decreased, despite access to Bolsa Fam\u00edlia and running counter to the national trend (see turquoise line on graph), this should be of particular concern.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas In 2003, President Luiz Ignacio “Lula” da Silva launched the Bolsa Fam\u00edlia program to promote social progress for impoverished families. This and other programs were implemented in an effort to decrease […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":11842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335,329,1329],"tags":[27,697,1261,779,397,203,147,117,37,15,519,744,1025,876,301,21],"writer":[1024],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11826","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policies","8":"category-solutions","9":"category-by-international-observers","10":"tag-asa-branca","11":"tag-bolsa-familia","12":"tag-central-rio","13":"tag-community-leaders","14":"tag-education","15":"tag-inequality","16":"tag-morar-carioca","17":"tag-morro-do-fogueteiro","18":"tag-north-zone","19":"tag-pacifying-police-unit","20":"tag-pica-pau","21":"tag-policy-critique","22":"tag-poor-quality-services","23":"tag-poverty","24":"tag-public-policy","25":"tag-west-zone","26":"writer-annie-austin"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11826"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=11826"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=11826"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=11826"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=11826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}