Brasília - The government's Bolsa Familia program, which pays low-income families between US$24.59 and US$32.45 per month (depending on the size of the family), added another 200,000 families this month bring the total receiving assistance to 4.3 million families.

Andre Teixeira, of the Ministry of Social Development and Hunger Combat, reports that the Banco de Brasília (BRB), has joined the program. Paulo Castanheira, the BRB director of Markets, says that over the last two weekends the bank delivered magnetic cards to 25,000 beneficiaries of the program. The Federal District just received US$1.17 million (R$3.6 million) to extend the program to 29,800 families.

Teixeira says the program target is to reach 6 million families by the end of the year in every corner of the country.

The Bolsa Familia is part of the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration's frontal assault on poverty in all its forms in Brazil. The idea is to furnish low-income families with health, education, food and social assistance.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Lourival Macedo
Translator: Allen Bennett
07/28/2004