Frequently Asked Questions

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UNCTAD

UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

III UN Conference on Least Developed Countries

Foreword: The following question and answer paper of Missao Crianca is circulated as a paper that can provide an overall appraisal of what is considered a significant and successful initiative adopted years back in Brazil. The views expressed in the text are those of Missao Crianca and former Governor Cristovam Buarque and are not to be seen as an official view of UNCTAD.

Whom to Contact in UNCTAD

I n as far as this particular Balsa-Escola success story is being monitored within the UN system and the Secretary General of UNCTAD is servicing the III UN Conference on the LDCs in the context of a social investment activity that could be related to debt relief actions the person to be contacted is: Reinaldo Figueredo Senior Adviser to the SG of UNCTAD Tel: (41 22) 917-6323 Email: reinaldo.figueredo@ unctad.org

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A. Objective, origin and application

1. What is the Balsa-Escola?

The Bolsa-Escola (scholarship) is a multi-objective programme designed to combat poverty and social exclusion while building a better and stronger society by enabling children from poorer communities to go to school. Therefore, it:

a) opens the opportunity for children from poorer communities to access education thereby supporting the basic principle of education for all;

b) helps to reduce the level of poverty by supplementing the income of the poorer children and their families;

c) combats the incidence of child labour and the abuses associated with it; and

d) sets the foundation for building current and future generation of skilled labour.

2. How did it start?

The Bolsa-Escola starts with a simple idea: if young boys and girls are unable to attend school or have to disrupt school because of poverty their family must be paid so that the children are released from their obligations and can go to school like other children.

In 1986, a group of Professors at the University of Brasilia/ Brazil led by the then Rector Cristovam Buarque carried out research to find solutions to the Brazilian social problem. Brazil is one of the many developing countries where exclusion from school because of the extra income requirements of the family had increasingly become a serious national problem and a policy response was needed to tackle it. The proposed solution

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was the Bolsa-Escola initially designated as Minimum income linked to education.

The proposal was initially announced in a document and then in a book entitled “Revolution through Priorities” in 1994.

3. How is the amount to be paid estimated?

In Brazil it has been assessed that half of the minimum income is enough to secure that families will take their children out of child labour in order to bring them back to school where they, in their own right belong. In a rich area this value should be higher. In Brasilia the value was US$ 136 per month.

4. When and where did it start ?

The Bolsa-Escola as an institutionalised programme was first implemented in Paranoa, a poor city in the Federal District of Brazil, Brasilia, on June 3rd 1995 by a Decree passed by the then Governor Cristovam Buarque.

5. Where else in the Federal District (FD) was this programme implemented?

The programme was initiated in the city of Paranoa. After assessing the performance of the initial few months the Programme, was then extended to the poorest constituencies of Brasilia.

Soon after the municipal county of Campinas was the first to adhere to this minimum income policy the same concept of the Bolsa-Escola as defined in the text of “Revolution through

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Priorities”. Since then the programme has expanded successfully all over Brazil and other countries in the region.

In five years the progam expanded all over Brazil, to Mexico and is also in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. In May 2001, UNCTAD and IL0 presented in Brussels the Bolsa- Escola as the main program to eradicate poverty in the 47 least developed countries.

6. How many children have been supported by this programme in Brasilia?

By 1998, the number of families and children covered by this programme in Brasilia had reached 25.680 and 50.673 respectively. This represents approximately 10% of the enrolled students in the Federal District public education system. Approximately the total number of needy children.

In the Federal District the government paid a Minimum Legal Wage, US$151 per month per family. The Federal Government Bolsa-Escola program is paying R$ 15.

7. What percentage of the Federal District budget was assigned to this programme?

Approximately 1% of the Federal District budget.

8. How does it operate?

The Bolsa-Escola generally follows a sequence of steps:

a) the local government defines the Programme goals and the criteria for selecting the families that will participate in the programme;

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b) the Secretariat of Education (or any other body responsible for implementing the programme) invites potential participants to register in the programme explaining clearly the criteria to be applied, the timing and where the selection is to take place;

c) the families wishing to take part in the programme then register and make themselves available for eligibility test in accordance with the pre-established criteria. Generally, selected premises for the programme are the same school where their children attend school;

d) the team responsible for the Bolsa-Escola subsequently visits the families at their home to ensure that the information provided in the registration form is accurate. This procedure is intended to discourage non-eligible families taking advantage of the programme. Once the verification process has ended the Secretariat of Education finalises the family selection process. The list is then conveyed to the school, which in turn will call upon one member of the selected family, often the mother, to be responsible for the disbursement of the extra income provided.

e) finally the Secretariat of Education confirms in writing both to the mother and to the teacher that the family has been included in the Bolsa-Escola programme.

9. How does the family selection process take place?

The programme undergoes the following stages.

a) programme diffusion; registration and selection; domestic visits to the selected families; announcement of the outcome and application of the programme;

b) the initial selection in the programme registration office is made once the required submission document proves that the family qualifies for participating in the programme.

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10. What are the basic criteria for qualification into the programme?

Residence in the municipality for more than five years and having a monthly income of no more than half-minimum salary, taking into account the residence adult population that qualifies for work.

To have all children (age 7 - 14) registered in school. To formally agree to keep all the children that are of school

age - boys as well as girls - in school, and that none of them will skip classes for more than two days per month without justification.

11. How and where is the scholarship paid?

Once the families have been selected, every school sends to the Secretariat of Education -on a monthly basis - the list of those families whose children assistance had no unjustified absence and therefore are entitled to receive the Bolsa-Escola. The school sends regularly the list of beneficiaries to the Secretariat of Education then the payment request is made to the Ministry of Finance, which in turn transfers the scholarship to the bank. The bank, or institution in charge of disbursing the scholarship, provides directly the scholarship to the entitled family (often the mother). This process is revised every month including during the holiday period.

12. What is the time frame of this programme?

If all the conditions are maintained, the family is entitled to remain in this programme while the children are at school age

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(7 to 14 years). However, efforts are made to improve the income situation of the family including assisting them to obtain employment that pays more or equal to minimum wage so that they are in a position to leave the programme even though the children are still at school. To that end families participating in the programme should be evaluated on a yearly basis.

13. How is the family being monitored and assisted?

The Secretariat of Education monitors the school attendance before authorizing or rejecting monthly payments.

14. What are the risks that families are receiving the entitlement though their children are not permanently attending school?

There are a number of monitoring and evaluating mechanisms that can be used to ensure that the benefits go to those who need it, according to established criteria, and that the children attend school and remain to do so at least until the age of 14. The experience in Brazil and other places show that it is possible to design and operationalize a monitoring mechanism.

15. What happen when the children do not attend school?

When one or more children miss classes without justification, the family entitlement ceases on the month that the absence took place. The objective in this case is not to penalise but to introduce discipline and to instil awareness in the family that the additional income is provided so that the children can go to school

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and attain education, which will help them secure better jobs in the future. Ultimately, the objective is to ensure that all low- income families improve their earning capacity in the market, without contributions from the children, so that their children of school age attend school like any children from well off families.

It should be said that Bolsa-Escola is an educational program and not a social assistance program.

16. Is it likely that those families that do not obtain scholarships will withdraw their children from school?

There are no reasons for poor families to withdraw their children from school in order to obtain scholarship.

The criteria to select the beneficiary family does not question if the children are working or not. It requires if the family is poor, independent if their children are working or not.

17. Does the Bolsa-Escola encourage vice in the family?

The Bolsa-Escola encourages a need to have the children in school; a kind of mania for education Bolsa-Escola provides only the additional income those families require maintaining the minimum standard of living in the country. In that respect, it simply replaces what the children used to earn to supplement the family income. It is unlikely; therefore, that it would encourage idleness or a new type of vice that did not exist prior to participation in the programme.

18. Who guarantees that there would not be a misuse of the extra income?

No one can guarantee that the Bolsa-Escola will not be misused just as much as the salary of any employee of any

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economic sector would misuse his earned income with friends instead of applying the salary in household or family needs. The primary objective of the programme is to enable children to go to school while maintaining the additional income they were generating for the family by working. How that extra income is spent is beyond the control of the programme.

B. Relevance to other countries

19. Can the programme be adapted to different conditions or social environment?

Certainly. The Bolsa-Escola is but one form and the modality and its applications can vary from place to place depending on the specific problem at hand and local conditions. In Mexico, for example, a similar programme called Progresa has been established covering 5 million children, with a very good innovation: to receive the Bolsa- Escola, the families have to take their children to the doctor at least once a month.

20. Is the experience in Brazil limited to Brasilia only?

No. The success achieved in Brasilia has resulted in a wide application of the programme all across the Brazilian territory. Of the 27 State capitals already IO of them implemented the programme with its own resources. And the Federal Government in April 2001 announced the implementation of the programme to cover all children in social risk in Brazil (approximately 10 million).

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21. Has it been applied in other countries aside from Brazil?

Yes. Bolsa-Escola has been implanted in Mexico since 1997 under the name of Program Progresa. They have now 5 million children receiving the Bolsa-Escola and is planning to reach 7 million in 2002. In Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador and Colombia there are programs like Bolsa-Escola already working or under study. In December 2000, the lbero American heads of states and governments summit included Bolsa-Escola in its declaration as an instrument to fight against the high drop out rates of latin american children from school. In the United Nations meeting in Brussels, May 2001, for the Less Developed Countries, the idea of Bolsa-Escola was presented as the basic tool to struggle against poverty in these countries.

2% Has the method of implementation of the programme in other countries differed from the Brazilian model?

Countries have adapted the Brazilian model to suit their own reality.

In Mexico, for example, the benefit goes directly to the boys or girls and not to the family. Moreover, in order to ensure that the children continue to attend school, the scholarship is raised proportionately with the age of the children. And the value is bigger for girls than for boys. Another different aspect of the Mexican model is that mothers have to present every two months a proof that their children were examined by certified programme medical assistance and that they are healthy. Mothers are therefore committed to take care of their children’s health. This is certainly an improvement on the Brazilian experience.

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C. The cost of Bolsa-Escola programme and the methods of

scholarship payment

23. Who collects the Bolsa-Escola?

In the case of Brazil, the Bolsa-Escola is a premium paid to the family and particularly to the mother. In cases where the mother is absent the stipend is given to the grandmother or any other woman family member that has the responsibility of caring for the children that will be entitled to the Bolsa-Escola.

24. Is it preferable to arrange the payment to go to the family rather than directly to the children?

Payment to the family ensures the commitment to all children in school age to attend school. As a value payment is made to the mother, equivalent to a salary, the mother feels obliged and dignified in her responsibility to invest in building a better future for her children. If payment is made directly to the children this somehow provides a free hand to the family to be selective on those children that shall attend school. Generally the elder will be kept in child labour and in all likelihood there will be a reinforcement of gender discrimination.

25. How does one estimate the total cost of the programme?

The efficiency of the Bolsa-Escola lies not only in the fact that the cost is small but also in that it is relatively simply to

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estimate it. One simply has to multiply the monthly value to be paid by the number of families that one wishes to cover.

26. How much would such a programme cost?

It depends essentially on the amount paid to each family. In Brasilia, for instance, the Bolsa-Escola covers a minimum wage (every family has an average of two children at school) and the target for 1998 was to cover as much as 25.000 families. In fact the programme did cover 25.680 families and 50.673 children at 136 reais per family (December 1998). This totalled 3.4 million reais on a monthly basis and 40.8 million per year (at the time US$ 1 = R$ 1).

27. What would be the cost of implanting such a programme all over Brazil?

Official statistics reveal that, in Brazil, there are 4 million children out of school and engaged in child labour. The statistics also reveal that some other 6 million children attend school on a partial basis and are very much subjected to social risks.

If one estimates an average of 2.5 children of school age per family, some 4 million scholarships would be required to end child labour and school drop out in Brazil. To attend all of them with 112 minimum wage, US$ 45 per month, the monthly cost would be US$ 2.16 billion per year. That is around 1 .2% of the Brazilian public sector income, 0.36% of the GDP.

28. What would be the cost of applying the Bolsa-Escola to all children that are forced to provide child labour in the world?

To provide support through the Bolsa-Escola programme to the 250 million children in the world that are subject to

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the worst forms of child labour will cost about US$ 3.4 billion. That is assuming 100 million families (with 2.5 children per family) at an average cost of US$34 per family, to be paid on a monthly basis. To attend 90 million children in Africa the cost would be US$ 7.2 billion, and to attend the 23 million children in Latin America the cost would be US$ 3.8 billion.

29. Where would the money come from?

The main source to implement the Bolsa-Escola should be government budget.

There is a constitutional obligation for the State to provide education for all.

So the question that arises, in case of limited resources which expenditure should be curtailed in order to secure that all children in school age attend a quality educational school? While reformulating public finance in one that deal with the children exclusively, and enhancing their guaranteed rights additional resources should be linked to debt relief actions to be agreed upon among creditor and debtor countries and or swaps. For African children it would be necessary 29% of the US$25.3 billion African countries should have paid on debt services in 1999. For Latin American children only 3% of the US$122 billion in debt services would be necessary.

30. Are there advantages in paying the Bolsa-Escola with cash instead of food?

If payment is made through basic food baskets or any other material means it would assume in fact the more traditional function of an assistance or health programme. One essential characteristic of the programme would be transformed. The symbolism of paying a salary to the mother reinforces her role in the family and dignifies the family nucleus.

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3 I. What percentage of GDP will be required for the Bolsa-Escola?

The target in Brazil is 4 million families and IO million children under social risks. This would require, 36% of GDP which in turn is grossly 1 .2% of the Brazilian public budget. In the case of Africa that would be 0.0024% of the World National Product and 0.0012 in Latin America. However, considering the total of working children, according to UNICEF it would be necessary only 0.18% of the total global income of US$30 trillion to pay a US$40 billion Bolsa-Escola.

32. Has the Bolsa-Escola programme been discussed in any multilateral forum or has it attracted financial support from donor agencies?

Missao Crianca is now paying Bolsa-Escola with private Brazilian resources and also with the support of USAID, EEC, NOVIB and UNICEF. At the same time, Missao Crianca will start paying Bolsa-Escola in Mozambique this year (2002).

33. Which personalities have knowledge of the Bolsa- Escola and endorsed its approach and activities?

Many personalities have a specific understanding of the programme and are supportive of the Bolsa-Escola. Among these the Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, Carol Bellamy from UNICEF, Juan Somavia from ILO, Rubens Ricupero from UNCTAD, some African leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, the Nobel Price in Economy Gary Becker and Michel Camdessus, Juan Somavia, Enrique lglesias and many others have been aware of the idea and directly or indirectly supporting it.

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Il. Balsa-Escola as a social investment and its impact on

society at large

34. Has the Bolsa-Escola programme attracted interest outside the Government circle?

It has, especially in academia. It has been the subject of several academic studies in Brazil and other countries. Many have concluded that the programme is an important social investment in the future. International organizations have also studied the programme, as can be found in the papers “An Assessment of the Bolsa-Escola Programs” by the World Bank and “The Minimum Income for School Attendance (MISA) Initiative” by the 110.

35. How can social investment in such a scheme be justified?

Aside from preventing poor boys and girls from entering prematurely the labour market at a young age, these children are given an opportunity similar to those more fortunate enough to come from middle and higher income families. For this reason and also to the extent that it generates greater awareness of the importance of educating children and the value of education in opening future employment opportunities, investment in such a scholarship programme is an critical component of a national social investment strategy.

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36. What is the reach of the social investment of the Bolsa- Escola?

The Bolsa-Escola increases the number of citizens participating in societies as contributors. It widens the space for social inclusion and democratic participation for those families that take part in the programme. Resources invested in the Bolsa-Escola contribute to more informed and better- educated people. As a matter of fact it is possible to consider up to 12 immediate effects of Bolsa-Escola.

Job and income generation

Economic growth from the basis of the social pyramid

n School / Education / Children, Effects q Income / Social / Economy, Effects W Citizenship / Solidarity, Effects

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37. Does the government obtain a return from this social investment?

It does so in the fiscal sector since the value spent by the beneficiaries are taxed. It has also been observed that in the regions where this programme has been implemented government expenditure in health, security, social assistance in investments of poverty reduction programmes have slimmed down.

38. Is it necessary to increase taxes to pay for this programme?

A programme such as Bolsa-Escola is needed because the system as it currently exists is failing. Governments in some developing countries might have to raise taxes or readjust existing budget allocation to subsidise the income of poor households in order to encourage their children to go to school.

The Bolsa-Escola could be paid increasing marginally the education budget and/or curtailing some other expenditure, therefore there would not be any need to increase or create new taxes. Even though in Brazil the population is very heavily taxed (one of the highest in the world) some national soundings have revealed that Brazilians would not be over disturbed if a 1 .2% tax increase devoted to the children would definitively contribute to end with the worst forms of child labour and secure education for these children. In fact there isa feeling of pride among Brazilians that a small personal investment of every citizen has a multiplier effect in the well-being of the people and a reduction in governmental expenditure in health, security and social security.

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39. Is the Bolsa-Escola an efficient Social and Educational investment?

It supplements the income of poor families thereby improving their standard of life and reducing the incidence of poverty. In this respect, the programme is an efficient social investment. On the other hand, to the extent that it enables children to attend school and learn thereby producing the next generation of skills, it represents an efficient investment in education.

40. Does it contribute to poverty reduction strategy?

It makes a significant contribution to poverty reduction. It enables poorer families to attain at least a minimum standard of living. A minimum income per family enhances dignity within the children having the opportunity of educating themselves instead of being subjected to premature labour.

4 1. Does it promote citizenry?

The combined effect of additional family income that improves purchasing power and education brings with it respect as well the pride to participate as equal members within the community.

42. Does Bolsa-Escola promote Human Rights?

The answer is an emphatic yes. Gaining access to education is in itself one of the fundamental human rights.

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43. Would Bolsa-Escola strengthen democracy?

The Bolsa-Escola contributes to the strengthening of democracy in many respects. By enabling the poor and excluded to learn and acquire knowledge, it contributes to the development of enlightened and conscious citizenry It offers those informed citizens the possibility of taking an active role in the destiny of their community. Above all, it helps to shape the future generation while restoring confidence in the political system and keeping children out of the street.

44. Does the Bolsa-Escola contribute to Scientific and social progress ?

In a society where education is unaffordable, at least for all children, benefits from technical and scientific development will be limited to a small part of community. The larger the number of children that are able to access formal education, the greater will be.the opportunities for specialisation in science subjects and for technological and social development of the country.

45. Would the Bolsa-Escola programme have impact on culture?

The Brazilian experience suggests that it could have a positive impact.

In Brasilia FD, for example, two complementary programmes were implemented. Art and School, by bringing local artists to visit the school. The Popular Season Programme was achieved with subsidised prices and allowed renowned regional or national actors to act in low-income communities.

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46. Does this programme contribute to environmental consciousness?

Education and poverty reduction enhances people’s consciousness in the quality of life. This in turn is favourable for sustainable development.

47. Does it have an immediate impact on local development?

The additional income generated from the scholarship is often spent within the local community to buy goods and services that cater the families basic needs. This in turn would generate additional business to local enterprises thereby contributing to employment generation and local business development. In its wider impact, demand for simple goods enhances economic growth from “bottom-up”, which is different from the “top-down” and capital-intensive approach that for many decades has conditioned the economies of poor countries and the pattern of their economic development.

48. How about its impact on violence?

As economic pressure on poor families diminishes so does social tension and harmonious relations are favourably impacted. Furthermore, less children in the streets means less potential for inner city under-age violence.

49. Will the Bolsa-Escola reduce migration?

Migration is often associated with economic hardship. A minimum guaranteed family income reduces the tendency to

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migrate, particularly from small to large cities, in search of employment. One of the conditions of eligibility of the Bolsa- Escola is a minimum number of years of family residence where the programme is implemented. Therefore, when properly applied, this programme could serve not only as a tool for controlling internal migration but also large-scale migration from poorer to richer countries.

50. Does it contribute to international integration?

To the extent that it generates the skills that countries need to develop their productive capacity and integrate better in the international economic system, one can easily argue that it contributes to international integration. Moreover, having educated and enlightened citizens is one of the prerequisites for gaining respect and integration with different cultures and people.

Even more in an international financial framework the Bolsa- Escola could request as a condition, that parents stay in the city, close to their children. This could be an ethical way to reduce migration: with the cost of just one month’s salary of an American border guard it would be possible to pay Bosla-Escola for at least 1000 poor children in Central America. And keep their parents around instead of an illegal, poor and disturbed life abroad.

51. Will it contribute to better governance and the reduction of corruption?

Providing decent income that give families independence and educating children so that they become enlightened and responsible citizens will lead to more transparency and less corruption in society. Petty corruption which is often found in poor communities where resources are scarce and its allocation

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encourages corrupt practices are eliminated by Bolsa-Escola type programmes that liberates individuals and families from the vicious circle of extreme poverty

Moreover, the transfer of income directly to the families, in the hands of the mothers, ends the usual corruption of government buying system.

52. Will the programme have impact on gender, especially the role of the mother In the family?

Under the Bolsa-Escola programme, the mother performs a fundamental role as a purveyor to the family nucleus. Her role in the family life is not only active but it transcends the traditional function and assumes a functional comptroller role in the education of her children and the family income.

53. Does the programme have impact on the state of Family Health?

Experience to date shows that family health has been systematically improved in those families benefiting from the Bolsa-Escola. The impact has been almost immediate and essentially due to the ability to purchase food and items essential for personal hygiene. In addition, health education given at the school premises has had noticeable impact on the children as well as the parents.

54. Would it contribute to improve family planning?

The active involvement of the mother in the implementation of the programme and the education that children receive at school on family planning provide a solid ground for consciousness of the importance of planning the size of the family.

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55. What is the impact of the Bolsa-Escola on adult illiteracy?

When the mother plays a role in the education of her children she feels the need to learn how to read and write. Wherever the Bolsa-Escola has been introduced, requests for literacy course have increased. Therefore, it has had a positive impact in terms of the reduction of illiteracy in those counties where the Bolsa-Escola has been implemented.

56. Does the Bolsa-Escola programme enhance self-esteem?

For parents, the opportunity for an improvement in their standard of living and the chance to see their children enrolled at school, like any other children, brings with it dignity and self- esteem. For the children, education will help them establish their position and role in society and gain self-esteem.

57. Why is Bolsa-Escola considered an employment in?

The Bolsa-Escola is paid to the mother so that she takes care of the family and ensures her children’s education. This benefit is tantamount to an employment that guarantees economic and social stability for the family. In similar programmes in France and Great Britain payment made to the mothers to take care of their children is identified as Social employment. Promotion of this particular type of employment in European economies has to do with its spillover and multiplier effects over the whole economy.

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58. Will the Bolsa-Escola help combat unemployment?

The programme combats unemployment in the short and long run. The immediate impact is the provision of income to the mother, as a kind of domestic employment, so that she takes care of her children’s education. When the family spends this salary, the local economy is in turn stimulated and more jobs will be created through the multiplier effect. It is estimated that if resources are guaranteed for the 10 million children in social risk areas in Brazil, it would create 4 million direct employment (for the families) and many other indirect employment that will deal with hiring more teachers, social workers, psychologists, brick-layers, carpenters, milkmen, farmers, shopkeeper and many others.

59. Why should one consider the payment of the Bolsa- Escola as a salary for having performed a “social job”?

This is simple economic logic. When a mother leaves her house to care for some other mother’s children she receives a salary for performing a particular service. Why is it, therefore, that when a mother stays in her house and receives financial support to take care of her own children’s education, that it is not seen as a good job? Why does a mother or a father who leaves the house to fill holes as part of his/her daily job while leaving the children on the street, out of school or with no protection and without food, would be a more responsible citizen just because he/she has official employment?

60. How does this programme protect the children?

It does so in two specific ways. The Bolsa-Escola gets children out of the streets and exploitative labour and provides arrangements for enroling into schools to learn in a protected

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environment. It also provides a better opportunity than what their parents had.

61. Is the Bolsa-Escola efficient in eradicating child labour?

Indeed, one of the main objectives of the programme is to eradicate child labour. It is viable, simple, efficient and a creative instrument to eradicate child labour. At the same time, it offers families the concrete possibility of investing in education for their children.

62. What has been the educational performance of children under the Bolsa-Escola programme?

It is a well-known fact that when children are better fed and well looked after, they show better records at school. Evaluations of the Bolsa-Escola initiative in Brasilia have shown that the level of academic success is proportionally higher in those children in the programme than those who do not benefit from it.

63. Does the programme have an impact on redoubling indexes?

In cases where the programme has been operational, noticeable reduction in redoubling indexes have been observed.

In Brasilia the assessments prove that in spite that the families are not threaten to be penalised by their children failing an academic year, most of the Bolsa-Escola children are good alumni and redoubling indexes are lower than those observed in other similar school where the programme does not exist.

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64. Has Bolsa-Escola helped to reduce school drop out?

The Bolsa-Escola programme encourages families to keep their children at school without sacrificing the added income their children used to earn on behalf of the family. Drop out is reduced even because the family needs the money and can not afford to have their children missing school.

One of the major contributions of the programme has been to reduce significantly absenteeism from school, which is a common problem in communities where children have the added responsibility as breadwinners for the family.

65. Is it worth educating these children if the prospect of getting jobs in the economy is limited?

First and foremost, the purpose of education is not only to get a job but also to diffuse knowledge in a formal and systematic way. Second, learning capacity is at its peak during the earlier years of ones life. Therefore, children should be given the opportunity to learn during their formative years, regardless of the job prospects. Moreover, labour force with basic education is easier to train new skills than those who have no exposure to formal education.

We can not assume that Bolsa-Escola will grant a job but can guarantee that without Bolsa-Escola there will be no jobs for the children.

66. Does Bolsa-Escola help to universalise access to education?

It does by ensuring that every boy and girl irrespective of his/ her social condition will fulfil his/her right to education. The Bolsa- Escola therefore provides a practical guarantee that this right is protected, independently of ones rank in society.

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E. Evaluations of the programme and results

67. Has the Bolsa-Escola been evaluated?

It has been thoroughly scrutinised and assessed by different Brazilian and foreign institutions and the conclusions have been generally favourable. Among the institutions that evaluated the programme include the Ministries of Planning and that of Education in Brazil, UNICEF, UNESCO, 110, The World Bank, Ford Foundation, and the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

The evaluations show that with a “relatively low cost”, the Bolsa-Escola has been able to:

Improve access conditions and sustainability of the children at school;

Generate a positive school culture in social sectors traditionally excluded from schools by motivating family interest in the education process of their children.

Contribute to the development of a citizenship consciousness reinforcing sentiments of solidarity and tolerance.

Encourage a sense of self-reliance by generating positive expectations in the future of marginalised sectors.

The World Bank published an evaluation under the title “An Assessment of the Bolsa-Escola Programs”.

68. What do the evaluations show about impact on school drop out?

The numbers provided in those assessments were that “desertion incidence” was 0.4% for children under the Bolsa- Escola programme compared with 7.4% for those outside.

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69. What were the findings with respect to students repeating a year?

The evaluations have come out with a success index of 86.4% of the Bolsa-Escola cohort in comparison with 74.5% of those students attending the same school.

70. Did the programme in Brazil have a positive impact on the intention of boys and girls to pursue their studies?

In 1997 an evaluation [ known and recognised by UNESCO] indicate that 90.7% of the Bolsa-Escola children would like to pursue their studies, in comparison with 89% of those outside the programme.

71. Of those families under the Bolsa-Escola programme what proportion of parental involvement is seen in their children’s’ education?

UNESCO’s evaluation indicates 72% involvement for the father and/or mother of those in the Bolsa-Escola cohort vis-a-vis a 64% for those outside the scope of the programme.

72. Has any official award or recognition been given to the Bolsa-Escola?

The Bolsa-Escola of Brasilia was awarded by the Ford Foundation and Getulio Vargas Public Management and

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Citizenry Award; the UNESCO Children’s award for its Bolsa- Escola initiative, among others. Complementary modules.

A set of complementary activities has been structured around the Bolsa-Escola such as the “School-saving system”, the “Pre- school basket” and the “Book-cases initiatives”.

73. What is the school saving system?

Parallel to the implementation of the Bolsa-Escola in Brasilia, another simple initiative was organised to stimulate students to approve their respective grade and round up their secondary studies.

It is known as the “School saving system”: A savings book is open at the initiation of the school year for every Bolsa-Escola alumni .It will be kept as long as the children approve their grade levels.

Each year an amount is deposited if the boy or girl is approved from one year to the next. However, they can not touch the money before 8th grade. If they leave school before they automatically loose all the money in the bank. When they reach high school they are authorized to withdraw half of the savings.

The remaining half can be withdrawn only if and when they conclude their secondary level, together with what has accumulated on this latter stage. If they drop out they loose the whole deposit.

74. What does the government gain from this saving system?

An immediate gain is the reduction in annual repetitions and in school desertions.

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75. What is the Pre-school basket?

A simple solution to care for the poor children before school age found in Brasilia was to supply a “Pre-school basket”, with food and pedagogical tools, to those families that have children that have not yet reached the school age.

76. What is the “bookcase” initiative?

In order to extract a family from poverty it is not enough to formally educate their children. A simple solution was found: the “bookcase” tool. A “bookcase” is installed in certain houses - approximately one per street - to care for a small library, thus transforming them into a local library.

77. Who takes care of the “bookcases”?

Every “bookcase” is an integral part of a family library that taken together represents a large public library serving the community as a whole. In this way, many people that would not otherwise have access to a book could now obtain one from its own community centres.

The “bookcases” has a multiplier effect in information and cultural dissemination within the poorest segment of the population.

78. What is the “House-schooling” concept?

The “Pre-School” basket, the Bolsa-Escola, the “School- saving system” are all components that protect and educate children since their early infancy.

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The “house-schooling” is a complementary programme established in Brasilia as a means of attracting adolescent and young men and women into intellectual activities.

This programme brings an extra income for the family as the student is encouraged by receiving a scholarship to devote his extra scholar time to help other Bolsa-Escola children do their homework and other school activities.

Missao Crianca

79. What is Miss&o Crianqa (MC)?

Missao Crianca is a non-political or religious non-profit NGO dedicated to combat all forms of poverty and social exclusion.

The main focus of its activities in defence of the children’s rights and is dedicated essentially to eradicate child labour and to ensure the inalienable right to education for every child though access to school.

80. Since when did Miss60 Crianqa exist?

Professor Cristovam Buarque founded Missao Crianca on 14 December 1998, when he was Governor of Brasilia.

Since then he has been promoting Bolsa-Escola within and outside Brazil.

81. What is the role of Miss&o Criaqa in the Balsa-Escola Programme?

Missao Crianca has three main ways of working: a) to promote the idea of Bolsa-Escola around the world;

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b) to advise governments and international organizations interested in promoting Bolsa-Escola; and

c) to pay Bolsa-Escola with private money.

82. Are there publications on MC that one can consult?

A quarterly bulletin of Missao Crianca and a web page in conjunction with publications of several didactic nature is regularly updated and circulated. Some of our publications are:

a) A Global Poverty Recovery Plan: bringing children first b) Bolsa-Escola: a proposal for Africa c) Bolsa-Escola: a poverty relief project for the HIPC countries d) What is Bolsa-Escola? e) 100 Frequently Asked Questions 9 Beta-Escolar - Urn Proyeto para America Latina y el Caribe g)lOO Preguntas y Respuestas que usted Necesita saber

sobre la Beta-Escolar h) Bolsa-Escola - Uma alternativa de Politica Publica Municipal i) Folder Adesao Missao Crianca j) Mania de Educacao - Uma Proposta para empresas I) 0 que vote pode fazer para ajudar a erradicar o trabalho

infantil no Brasil m) 11 Acoes para vote cuidar das criancas do seu municipio

83. What advice does Miss&o Crianga provide?

Missao Crianca is a consultant entity that provides advice to Governments, State and Municipalities, enterprises and institutions interested in implementing and/or expanding Programmes on child labour eradication like the Bolsa-Escola.

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The technical staff of Missgo Crianca develops all phases of projects, starting with the introductory phase of sensitising authorities and/or corporations up to elaborating specific research projects, registers, concessions, distribution, evaluation and follow-up of Bolsa-Escola activities.

84. What are the main projects that Miss&o CrianGa has accomplished?

In June 2001, Missao Crianca was paying Bolsa-Escola to 1100 families in 17 municipalities in Brazil.

It has helped to implement and/or expand the Bolsa-Escola to many Brazilian cities and states and also the Federal Government.

It has also provided advice to the Inter American Development Bank, the World Bank, UNICEF, ILO, UNCTAD and to the Brazilian National Forum on Preventing and Eradicating Child Labour.

85. What measures are taken in Brazil to create awareness of the problem of child labour?

During the last years the brazilian midia has been advertizing for a counciousness against child labor. One of the mort important instruments to this new counciousness is the Children and Adolescent Statute, stated ten years ago. This law can be considered one of the best in the world to protect the children.

86. What other measures is taken to fight child labour? [Fighting Child Labour Manual?

Missao Crianca is elaborating a practical manual with suggestions and guidance on how concerned citizens could fight and stop child labour in Brazil.

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--I__- ----,- ---.. ---.--_- ----.. . “--- ____-_ -._-

87. What is the Debt/Scholarship swap programme?

Aside from seeking a commitment with Administration to Institutionalise the Bolsa-Escola programmes, Missao Crianca is looking for alternative sources of finance to expand its activities.

The Debt/Scholarship Swap has been presented in many places around the world.

88. What is the “Citizens scholarship”?

These are Bolsa-Escola financed with private resources. Through this approach civil society is engaged in an

“education obsession” to secure a better quality of life for the country.

89. How does this “Citizens scholarship” operate?

Once Miss&o Crianca has secured resources for a Bolsa- Escola it looks for the counterpart in the locality foreseen to select a family applying identical criteria to those of the Bolsa- Escola a) 5 years residence b) school age children (7-l 4) c) family income of no more than half minimum salary

Once the family selected, Missao Crianca initiates payment on a monthly basis subject that no children have missed more than two days school.

If there are more than two days on unjustified absence the benefit for that month will be suspended until all children in school age from that family regularises the presence of their children at school.

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90. How does one ensure the attendance at school?

Every local entity has to establish a rule-based understanding with the Secretariat of Education in the corresponding municipality.

Once Missao Crianca is notified of the arrangement and corresponding information it authorises payment to every family.

91. How is the counterpart selected?

Local entities are selected by means of committee that includes a Judge, The Forum for Prevention and Eradication of Child Labour , UNICEF and some other local entity.

Once selected, the counterpart in every municipality has to send a letter to Missao Crianca specifying the commitments that they are entering into with the organisation as well as with the families that have to be taken care of.

These entities can register themselves to administer the programme in their own municipalities by conveying a letter to Missao Crianca.

92. When and where was the “Citizens-scholarship” initiated?

On May 11, 1999 this programme was launched in Brasilia at the municipality of Paracatu, MG. Today Missao Crianca provides Bolsa-Escola to 1 .I 00 families in 16 municipalities in Brazil.

93. What are the targets to be achieved?

With UNICEF the aim is to secure that no child labour takes place at the municipalities rubbish dumping sites and that they are appropriately place at school where they should be.

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94. How many “Citizens scholarships” have been assigned?

The Missao Crianca has now 1 .I 00 families receiving the citizens scholarships, financed with private money. This corresponds to more than 3.000 children studying thanks to private contribution. To make that possible, Missao Crianca receives contributions from businesspersons, USAID, ECC, UNICEF, NOVIB, UNESCO, and many Brazilien businesspersons and individuals. At this moment, Missao Crianca is present in 16 municipalities all over Brazil. Before the end of 2001 it will be present in Mozambique with 100 beneficiary families.

95. How does the reporting procedure take place?

Missao Crianca does this directly to the donors on an annual basis and publicly at the Head quarters of Missao Crianca.

96. How to contribute to the “Citizens scholarships”?

A direct contribution could be done on a monthly basis.

Voluntary field activity in municipalities or at the Head Quarters of Missao Crianca is also possible.

97. How can you participate?

Aside from contributing to the “Citizens scholarship”, Missao Crianca require your support in any one of the projects described.

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98. How does it function and what k it?

Several activities are developed in the voluntary enlistment of Missao Crianca Municipality’s action programme where the Bolsa-Escola is implemented.

These have to do with modules on children and education; children-ecology; children-culture; children-health etc. All of them are in line with Communities quality of life.

All of these modules are created and implemented by voluntary enlistment and action.

99. How to participate?

You can do so by contacting Missao Crianca Tel: (+55 61) 273 4620 Fax: (+55 61) 274 4261 Email: missaocrianca@tba.com.br Site: www.missaocrianca.org.br

100. What is the Miss60 Crianea Adress for further information?

Missao Crianca SCLN 107 - Bloc0 C - Sobrelojas 101/206 Asa Norte - Brasilia - DF - Brazil 70743-530

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