Brazil has managed to lift millions of people out of extreme poverty thanks to a comprehensive strategy to rebuild its social protection network. The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Hunger Combat, Wellington Dias, highlighted that the goal is to lift one million Brazilians out of extreme poverty and into the middle class.
Dias explained that a deep audit was carried out with the support of agencies such as the Federal Comptroller's Office and the Federal Police to ensure that social programs like "Bolsa Família" and the "Continued Cash Benefit" reached those who truly need them. Thanks to the use of artificial intelligence, the Government was able to detect and cancel 4.1 million benefits granted fraudulently, generating an estimated annual savings of 34 billion reais (about 5.925 billion dollars), according to the Federal Court of Accounts.
In the period of 2023 and 2024, more than 16.5 million people enrolled in the "Bolsa Família" program and in the Unique Registry secured formal employment. One of the pillars of this transformation is the program "Acredita no Primeiro Passo" (Believe in the first step), launched in October 2024, which promotes entrepreneurship among low-income individuals.
Minister Dias emphasized that Brazil has managed to lift millions of people out of hunger and social emergency. Despite being the tenth largest economy in the world and one of the largest food producers, the country faced an embarrassing situation in 2022 with 33.1 million Brazilians in a state of hunger.
