Larger families to get welfare boost under Bolsa Família

The new rules for the Bolsa Família income transfer program will be included in a provisional measure to be signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasília on Thursday (Mar. 2).

A provisional measure is a prerogative of Brazil’s president. It has a fixed term and needs Congress approval.

Besides bringing back its former requirements, the program will offer extra amounts for larger families. One such supplement was among President Lula’s most popular campaign promises, boosts the grant by BRL 150 per child aged up to six, in addition to the full BRL 600 family allowance. Another BRL 50 is to be paid for each dependent between the ages of seven and 18.

The move restores the original model designed during Lula’s first government, in the 2000s, requiring children’s steady school attendance and observance with an updated vaccination scheme. In Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, the program was replaced by Auxílio Brasil, which did not require these conditions.