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A partnership signed January 24 between Brazil and the principality of Asturias, in northern Spain, will help Brazil combat the consequences of drought in the Northeast. The funds, to the tune of US$ 276 thousand will pay for the construction of 520 cisterns in the semi-arid region.
In an interview on National TV, the Minister of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation, Patrus Ananias, said that he signed the agreement with representatives of the Asturias Development Cooperation Agency. The funds will be transferred directly to the Zero Hunger program.
400 cisterns will be built in the cities of Irauçuba and Quiterianópolis, in Ceará, and 120 in São Jorge da Vajota, in Piauí. Each cistern costs around US$ 522 (1.4000 reais) and has the capacity to store 16 thousand liters of potable water.
The Asturian Counselor of Justice, Public Safety, and Foreign Relations, Francisco Javier Garcia Valledor, commended the Zero Hunger program.
He said he intends to maintain the partnership over the coming years and that the amount may be increased, depending upon the results of this initial experience.
"The Brazilian government is acting as an element of hope for this transformation in the humanistic sense," he underscored.
Minister Ananias informed that a large network of internal partnerships is being established in Brazil between the federal government and states, municipalities, and segments of civil society.
According to Ananias, the Family Grant is forming partnerships with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the UN International Labor Organization (ILO).
"This great partnership with the government of Asturias also represents another step in our creation of this network of international solidarity that demonstrates the Zero Hunger program to the entire world," Ananias concluded.
Translation: David Silberstein
Agência Brasil
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