Promundo, with funding from UN Women and in partnership with Instituto Papai, is developing a pilot project that seeks to involve men in the economic empowerment of women beneficiaries of Bolsa Família, a direct income transfer program run by the Brazilian federal government, which benefits families in situations of poverty and extreme poverty. The initiative began in October in Morro dos Prazeres, Rio de Janeiro, and in Bairro Cordeiro, in Recife.
The project aims to reach 100 men and 100 women beneficiaries of Bolsa Família in each of the capitals in the first year and aims, in addition to promoting equitable attitudes among men for the economic and social strengthening of women, to increase their participation in decisions family and facilitate their access to labor rights and better employment opportunities.
Women will participate in workshops that promote gender awareness and women's empowerment. The men, who are related to the beneficiaries, will be mobilized through sport – a football championship – and will participate in educational activities aimed at promoting equitable and non-violent masculinities. A community campaign will be developed in a participatory manner, aiming to expand the scope of the topic in both communities.
There will be an evaluation of the intervention, through interviews with participants at the beginning and end of the project and a Seminar to disseminate the results of the interventions.
In 2011, Brazil's Ministry of Social Development (MDS) reported that more than 50 million people had registered with the income transfer program (around 12 million families). It has been demonstrated that income transfers are transforming the lives of economically disadvantaged families, allowing them to escape extreme poverty and achieve a qualitative impact on children's education and health and promoting women's autonomy.
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