Brazil launches anti-hunger program - 'A fundamental step toward overcoming misery'

www.cnn.com Friday, January 31, 2003 Posted: 8:00 AM EST (1300 GMT)

Brazilian President Silva discusses the plan Thursday at a Brasilia ceremony.

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- Brazil's new president launched his anti-hunger program Thursday with a move to provide $14 a month to 1.5 million families, most from the country's poverty-stricken northeast.

While the stipend may seem insignificant, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's hunger task force estimated 46 million of the country's 175 million citizens survive on less than $1 a day.

"The struggle against hunger is a fundamental step toward overcoming misery, poverty, a lack of opportunities and social inequality," said Silva, who as a boy dropped out of grade school to help support his family.

He made hunger eradication his top priority during his January 1 inauguration speech.

"We are going to create the conditions so that everyone in our country can eat a decent meal three times a day, every day, without needing donations from anyone," he said.

But Silva, Brazil's first elected leftist president, cautioned that there were no quick fixes to eliminate hunger in Brazil, which has the world's fifth-largest population.

"Hunger cannot be vanquished from one day to another, or with some isolated government measures," he said. "Conquering hunger will demand a lot of effort, a lot of persistence, a lot of courage and dedication from all of us during the next four years."

Brazil will spend $514 million this year on its food program, and the first payments start next week when 1,000 poor families in the arid northeastern state of Piaui receive their $14. All the 1.5 million families will be enrolled by the end of the year.

Eligible families living in towns and cities will get a kind of debit card to draw funds from a state-owned bank, while coupons similar to food stamps will be used in remote regions without banks.

Controversy and a supermodel

Still, the launch of the program has been burdened with controversy.

Inexplicably, Maranhao -- which borders Piaui -- was left off the initial list of participating states. And Maranhao ranks second worst of Brazil's 26 states on a human development index that measures income, illiteracy, life expectancy and school enrollment.

It is also the home state of former Brazilian president Jose Sarney, who backed Silva during his presidential campaign. Silva spokesman Andre Singer would say only that Maranhao would be discussed at a press conference scheduled for Thursday evening.

The government also says it will maintain anti-hunger programs developed by Silva's predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, including a project that gives families up to $13 per month for food as long as their children stay in school.

Another program gives up to $13 a month to poor families with pregnant women or breast-feeding mothers.

Earlier this week, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen opened Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil's largest city by donating $29,000 to Silva's anti-hunger effort.

Silva's program has also received a little over 3 tons of donated food -- including milk, soybean oil, rice, beans, wheat, flour and corn, said Luiz Roberto Baggio, a program coordinator. Guidelines are not in place yet for how to distribute those goods.

After he was inaugurated, Silva delayed putting in place a plan to spend $400 million on new jet fighters to upgrade Brazil's antiquated air force planes. His aides said anti-poverty programs were more important.