MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian president signals revamp of poverty campaign.

Nearly a year after he was swept to power on pledges of radical social change, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil's president, on Monday announced an overhaul of his poverty-eradication programme.

The government's determination to combine economic orthodoxy with progressive social policies raised widespread hopes for a new, more egalitarian economic model in Latin America. Yet, only months into office, his flagship antifamine programme, Zero Fome - "Zero Hunger" - was criticised as unwieldy and poorly organised.

Now, the former union leader is eager to show that initial obstacles have been overcome. "We are now on the right track," he said in a ceremony on Monday.

James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, followed Mr Lula da Silva's address live by video-conference and praised his efforts towards social equality. The World Bank and other multilateral agencies have stepped up financing for Zero Fome and other social welfare programmes.

In an effort to improve the unequal distribution of public aid, the government yesterday said it would unify four welfare projects - health, food, fuel, and education subsidies - into a single "family award".

Brazil, which has one of the most unequal income distributions in the world, spends more on social programmes than many developing countries. Yet, much of the money does not reach the country's poorest.

"A few received too much and many too little - we're trying to change that," Ricardo Henriques, executive secretary of the social assistance ministry, told to the press.

Ministries are now to co-ordinate and concentrate their various social projects on the same target population to multiply their impact. "Some families obtain training to administer micro-enterprises, but lack low-cost loans to start their business, while their neighbours get inverse benefits," says Mr Henriques.

Brasília has also reached an agreement with state governments to limit the total amount of aid a family may receive to between R$100 (US$35) and R$120. Still, the government will have doubled its budget in nominal terms for the four unified welfare projects from R$2.6bn last year to R$5.3bn next year.

After months of logistical problems and conflicting authority between ministries, the government has already met its year-end target of signing up 1m families (roughly 4m people) to receive R$50 each in food aid from Zero Fome. These are to form part of 3.5m families who are to receive R$75 by year-end under the new, unified programme.

"Almost 50m people will have a decent and independent life when I leave government," Mr Lula da Silva said, failing to mention that the previous government, under President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, laid the groundwork for the current welfare programmes. In exchange for aid, families must have their children enrolled in school and vaccinated against common diseases. They must also regularly visit a doctor, and attend classes on nutrition as well as literacy and professional training.