92404 Improving the Lives of the Rural Poor in Ceará State December 13, 2005 Northeast Brazil: Rural Poverty Reduction Program - Ceará Community Driven Development Although Ceará has made impressive socio- President Wolfowitz visits participant economic development progress in the past communities in Ceará - Dec. 16, 2005 decade, poverty remains severe and many rural Photos families lack access to basic infrastructure and President Wolfowitz visits Brazil services. While access to electricity has improved Full coverage to 85% in rural areas, other key indicators including   safe water supply and sanitation remain low. Illiteracy is 40% among people 15 years and older,   while 35% of rural families (70% of children) live on   less than one minimum salary per month (equivalent to less than US$0.65 per capita/day),   and 70% live on less than two.    The Ceará Rural Poverty Reduction Project is part of the Northeast Rural Poverty Reduction Program (NRPR) comprising loans to all 10 states Guiding principles of Community-Driven of the Northeast region for participatory, Development projects (CDDs): community-driven development (CDD). The Northeast region of Brazil exceeds the land area of · pass funds for subproject execution France, Germany, Italy and Spain combined, and directly to beneficiary community has the largest single concentration of rural poverty associations; in Latin America – around 11 million people. · decentralize decision-making, involve local authorities as participants/partners and use The project aims to assist the state to reduce its local cost-sharing; level of rural poverty by: · maintain transparent decision-making improving the well-being and incomes of the throughout the process; and rural poor through better access to basic · use simple, explicit poverty targeting social and economic infrastructure and parameters. services , using a community-driven approach;   increasing the capacity of rural communities Financing to organize collectively to meet their own Total cost: $50 million needs; and   Sources of funding: enhancing local governance by greater IBRD loan amount: $37.5 million State of Ceará: $12.5 million citizen participation and transparency in decision-making through the creation and Implementing agency strengthening of community associations and municipal councils. Local and Regional Development Secretariat In the State of Ceará, about 60% of the rural poor population has benefited from at least one More details CDD investment since 1995. Currently, the project  Full project information & documents is piloting innovations in rural electrification, small- scale productive activities, community-based revolving funds, education of Afro-descendent communities, and rural sanitation in municipalities with high infant mortality. The beneficiaries of the project are primarily small-holders, tenants, sharecroppers, and landless laborers, who will identify, prepare, implement and maintain thousands of community infrastructure and productive investments financed under the projects. Updated: December 2005