A state-funded program plans to help more than 1.5 million Colombian families overcome extreme poverty, and a million families have already been helped by the scheme, according to a government report released Wednesday.
The government-run scheme Juntos, developed by the Social Protection Network for Overcoming Extreme Poverty, has so far worked with families in over a thousand municipalities throughout the country to reach 45 basic goals in areas such as health, education and income.
It is targeted at families defined as living in extreme poverty, and those who have been displaced from their land by Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict.
The process has had the support of some 7,600 social workers, and an investment of $26.5 million from the Colombian government, with 16% of the money going directly to local governments.
The Juntos scheme has also been working with Colombia’s private sector to increase employment opportunities, as well as to support health and education projects within the municipalities.