From the Newsroom*
São Paulo – The experience with the Bolsa Família (meaning Family Scholarship in Portuguese), main income transference programme by the Brazilian government, was presented last Saturday (19) in Egypt. The minister of Social Development and Food Safety, Patrus Ananias, showed the Egyptian government how the programme works. The programme helps 6.5 million poor families, and may serve as a model in the social reform of the African country. The event was carried out by the World Bank (IBRD), in the city of Luxor.
For the IBRD, income transference policies, such as the Brazilian one, may be used in poverty combat in other parts of the world. "The program was chosen as a model to be presented in Egypt as it covers a relevant social objective. It is focused and at the same time answers to a significant universe of people," highlighted the director-representative of the financial institution in Brazil, Vinod Thomas.
Last year, the World Bank approved a loan of US$ 572 million to the programme. The Senate has to approve the release of the resources.
As well as the Brazilian minister, who comes back to Brazil today, and the directors of the IBRD, the representative of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, Santiago Levy Algazi, and the director for human development in the Middle East and North Africa, Michal Rutkowski, participated in the meeting in Egypt
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
