Brazil

Overview

With an estimated 190 million people, Brazil’s population ranks fifth in the world and largest in Latin America. Its vast natural resources and its large labor pool reinforce why it is considered a regional leader and one of Latin America’s economic  powers.  Still,  managing  a population this size presents a challenge, especially when:

Still, managing a population this size presents a challenge, especially when:

• An  estimated  one  in three Brazilians (53 million people) live  below  the international poverty line;
• Unemployment is 12.9 percent nationally and 22-25 percent in some major urban centers;
• Approximately 15 percent of the nation remains illiterate;
• Nearly 12 million Brazilians lack access to reliable energy;
• Crime continues to grow dramatically;
• Brazil is home to nearly  60  percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in South America, a majority of the region’s malaria cases, and is a high-burden tuberculosis country;
• Environmental  degradation  continues  at  an  alarming rate, amid increased pressure to exploit the Amazon to generate economic growth and employment; and
• Heavy internal debt remains a serious constraint to productive spending.

USAID/Brazil is preserving natural ecosystems, promoting sustainable forest management, and mitigating climate change; promoting clean, alternative energy    technologies;    supporting efforts to prevent and control tuberculosis; reducing crime and improving social and economic inclusion through at-risk youth employability initiatives; combating trafficking in persons and assisting victims; and promoting trade-led small business growth and employment.

Programs

Environment:

USAID aims to increase benefits to rural poor and shape land-use trends over large geographic areas, especially the Amazon, while mitigating the global impact of climate change and biodiversity loss; improve sustainable natural forest management practices; develop markets for environmental goods and services to provide tangible economic benefits for poor communities;  and monitor and  design  sustainable landscapes enhancing environmental and socioeconomic benefits incorporated into government planning and policies.

Energy:

USAID seeks to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies to mitigate global climate change and to expand the socio-economic benefits of clean, reliable power; assist the Government of Brazil to design public policies that facilitate the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies; support renewable energy and energy efficiency demonstration  projects;  and enhance related cooperation between U.S. and Brazilian firms and public institutions.

Health:

USAID assists the Ministry and State Secretariats of Health in the implementation of a tuberculosis control program by expading Directly Observed Therapy Short-course (DOTS) coverage; supporting  research  to  assess  multi-drug  resistance  and  TB/HIV co-morbidity; and involving NGOs in prevention and control efforts.

Disadvantaged Youth:

USAID assistance seeks to promote economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth through technology-based training, related life skills support, job placement assistance, and entrepreneurship opportunities. The program also offers marketable skills training for at-risk youth and  increases  youth access  to formal market employment opportunities.

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS:

USAID seeks to curb trafficking in persons (TIP) for sexual exploitation and forced labor purposes by providing related training to law enforcement and judicial officials. USAID also strengthens social service delivery networks that assist TIP and sexual exploitation victims and supports the improvement of shelter facilities.

Economic Growth: