Bolsa Família now includes a million families and breaks its own record by offering BRL 672.45 on average

This is how Brazilian rural worker Maria Francilene, 25 – who lives in Garrafão do Norte, a small town of 26,000 inhabitants in the state of Pará, Brazil – has been providing food, diapers and clothes for Marcelo, her three-year-old son. This is also how solo mother Adrielly Pereira Silva, 19, has been managing to vary the food she offers her two-year-old daughter Pérola, with whom she lives in the town of Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais.

The certainty of receiving a minimum BRL 600 as well as an extra BRL 150 per child up to 6 means security and dignity for Francilene, Adrielly and another 21.2 million Bolsa Família beneficiaries. The Brazilian federal government’s income transfer program will start May installments between today (18) and the 31st (please see below).

RECORDS – This month, the average Bolsa Família installment offered across Brazil is the highest it’s ever been: BRL 672.45 against April’s BRL 670.49. The program includes all 5,570 Brazilian municipalities and, this month, the federal government transfer amounts to BRL 14.1 billion – the highest in the history of the income transfer program.

After this raise, our income increased and we can buy the things that we always ended up having to leave behind in the supermarket
Jessica Lesses
mother of two girls and Bolsa Família beneficiary from Manaus (Amazonas)

1 MILLION PEOPLE – Since it was relaunched in March, Bolsa Família has included another 1 million families who had not been previously contemplated despite meeting requirements. All in all, 808,000 families were included between March and April. In May, another 200 thousand became Bolsa Família beneficiaries.

BRL 150 FOR 9 MILLION PEOPLE – Bolsa Família ensures families receive a minimum BRL 600 and a further BRL 150 for each child from 0-6. In May, this means over 9 million children – such as Pérola and Marcelo – are entitled to the extra BRL 150.

“This is a little extra that allows me to buy something more for my daughter, such as better meat and a greater variety of fruit,” says Adrielly. “I save the BRL 150 to buy things for my son Marcelo. The BRL 600 goes towards electricity and household expenses,” explains Francilene, while buying chicken breast in a nearby grocery store.

ESSENTIAL – Jéssica Lesses lives in a rented house in Manaus (Amazonas) with her mother and two daughters. She spends her time working a temporary job; studying towards better opportunities; and taking care of the girls. Bolsa Família is essential to her. “After this raise, our income increased and we can buy the things that we always ended up having to leave behind in the supermarket. But our needs are neverending: we have to eat, get dressed, and live somewhere. Without Bolsa Família, things would be even harder.”

Infográfico 1 - Cronograma de Pagamentos do Programa Bolsa Família no mês de maio

REGIONS – The Northeast is the Brazilian region which harbors most Bolsa Família beneficiaries: more than 9.7 million families across nine states, at a cost of BRL 6.3 billion. The average benefit in the region is BRL 664.38. The Southeast comes next: 6.33 million families. Transfers exceed BRL 4.25 billion, and the average amount in the four states is BRL 672.32. Next come the North (2.59 million families across seven states), the South (1.43 million across three states) and the Midwest (1.13 million across three states and the Federal District).

STATES – The state of São Paulo tops the list of Bolsa Família beneficiaries. There are more than 2.579 million beneficiaries in the state, with an average benefit of BRL 678.25 at an investment of BRL 1.74 billion. Next come seven states with more than 1 million benefited families: Bahia (2.5 million), Rio de Janeiro (1.82 million), Pernambuco (1.67 million), Minas Gerais (1.62 million), Ceará (1.49 million), Pará (1.35 million), and Maranhão (1.23 million).