MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rousseff reiterates pledge to eliminate extreme poverty in Brazil by 2014

According to the president 16 million Brazilians are destitute and entitled to assistance

President Dilma Rousseff, about to complete her first year in office, reiterated she remains committed to eliminate extreme poverty in Brazil by the end of her term in 2013.

“We will not desist until we achieve our goal of pulling 16 million people out of destitution” Rousseff pledged on Monday during her weekly radio program.

She said the “Brazil without Destitution” initiative exceeded its targets for the first year, identifying 407,000 families who are eligible for public assistance but not receiving benefits. The initiative requires authorities to actively search out poor people who are entitled to benefits.

At the start of 2011, the Rousseff administration estimated at around 800,000 the number of households which qualified for assistance but had not signed up for the Bolsa Familia welfare program established by her predecessor Lula da Silva.

“By 2013, certainly, we will find all those who are not in the Bolsa Familia program and we will assure them the right and the conditions to cease being extremely poor,” the president said.

Bolsa Familia currently provides payments of 32-306 Reais (17 to 165 US dollars) a month to roughly 14 million poor families, who are in turn required to ensure their children attend school.

Asserting that poor people want opportunities, not “favours,” Rousseff also announced plans to expand a job-training program which reserves 61,000 spots for Bolsa Familia recipients.

According to the president 16 million Brazilians are destitute and entitled to assistance