Fome Zero

Fome Zero ( , Zero Hunger) is a program of the Government of Brazil introduced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003, with the goal to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty in the country. It followed the lead of projects that had already put into practice by the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration, which was named Bolsa Escola (School Stipend), and which had been established in 1995¹.

Fome Zero ( , Zero Hunger) is a program of the Government of Brazil introduced by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003, with the goal to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty in the country. It followed the lead of projects that had already put into practice by the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration, which was named Bolsa Escola (School Stipend), and which had been established in 1995. ==Contents of the program== Lula followed the lead of projects that had already put into practice by the Fernando Henrique Cardoso administration, which was named Bolsa Escola (School Stipend), and which had been established in 1995. Lula expanded those projects with the new Fome Zero ("Zero Hunger") program, which was part of the Bolsa Família (Family Allowance) plan. The program is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Social Development and Hunger Combat (Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome) and was intended to put into action the government's strategy to guarantee the right of access to basic food. The program takes a number of forms, ranging from direct financial aid to the poorest families (with the Bolsa Família card) to diverse strategies such as creating water cisterns in Brazil's semi-arid areas, creating low-cost restaurants, educating people about healthy eating habits, distributing vitamins and iron supplements, supporting subsistence family farming and giving access to microcredit. ==Effects== The program is believed to have contributed to Brazil's recent reported improvements in its fight against poverty, according to research promoted by some universities and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). An ex ante econometric evaluation of Bolsa Escola did find significant effects on both school attendance rates and the number of children involved in child labor. The World Bank, which created in June 2005 a Bolsa Família Project to assist the Brazilian government in managing the Bolsa Família Program, declared that "Although the program is relatively young, some results are already apparent, including: (...) contributions to improved education outcomes, and impacts on children’s growth, food consumption, and diet quality". A study by the UNDP Poverty Centre found that over 80% of the Bolsa Familia benefits went to families in poverty (making under half the minimum wage per capita), thus most of the benefits were going to the poor. BF was also claimed to have been responsible for about 20% of the drop in inequality in Brazil since 2001, which is welcome in one of the most unequal countries on the planet. Research promoted by the World Bank showed a significant reduction in child labor exploitation among children benefited by the Bolsa Família program. The program has also been reported to have made a significant impact on the ability of the poorest families to eat. Children in public school receive one free meal a day—two in the poorest areas—and so less of their family's limited income is needed to pay for food. In a survey of Bolsa Familia recipients, 82.4% reported eating better; additionally, it was reported to increase the incomes of the poorer families by about 25%. ==See also== Bolsa Família Lulism Zero Poverty Program, a similar program introduced by Yogi Adityanath in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh ==References== ==External links== Fome Zero Official Website

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