Family Futures

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onfronting

amily

overty

achievable for everyone. The National Crusade Against

Hunger is probably the best example of how this works,

since it is focused on the population that suffers hunger with

the aim of guaranteeing their right to food. For the crusade,

hunger is defined as a situation that faces the extreme poor as

explained before but, in addition, access to food is one of the

social deprivations they suffer. In 2012 the population with

these characteristics added up 7.01 million people distributed

all over the country.

The National Crusade Against Hunger’s approach is holis-

tic and puts the family at the centre. For example, with the

scheme SIN-HAMBRE 290, thousands of families have a card

to buy basic foods in Diconsa stores. On the other hand,

Liconsa distributes fortified milk among families with scarce

resources to improve their nutrition. Food supplements are

also distributed to pregnant women, school breakfasts for

children and food supplies for seniors.

However, the National Crusade Against Hunger does not stop

at providing assistance. It has a productive branch where the

family also plays an important role. For example, it encour-

ages backyard animals for home consumption, the creation of

kitchen gardens and community kitchens. With these, families

have access to food they grow themselves and their vulnerabil-

ity to food supply and price volatility is reduced.

Furthermore, the crusade also provides a series of

programmes to improve families’ income through train-

ing, technology innovation, infrastructure and equipment,

among others. One of the most important of these

programmes is called Productive Options. It finances the

entrepreneurial ideas and projects of poor families that

wish to start a business. Another programme to support

families’ income is the Temporal Employment Programme,

with which people with seasonal jobs can work temporarily

in projects of common benefit.

In addition to the improvement of education, health, access to

food, employment and income, there are programmes to improve

dwellings – for example, with respect to materials in floors, walls

and roofs, or expanding the provision of basic services such as

electricity or piped water. In this way, the crusade also takes

into account actions to improve the family’s vital space and its

community. As a matter of fact, social participation is one of the

greatest pillars of the crusade and of the social policy in general.

Social participation has been encouraged through thousands of

community commitees, as well as through NGOs. It is through

social participation mechanisms that communities prioritize

their needs and channel their demands to local and federal

governments. In other words, we are putting the communities

in the driver’s seat in their development process and, at the same

time, we are reconstructing the social fabric.

Overall, Mexico has a social policy with a life cycle perspec-

tive, and the Government’s programmes and strategies are

targeted to provide a holistic approach to the family. There is

an institutional framework that cares for all family members

in their different life stages. In addition to the various

programmes, there are institutions that promote actions for

the youth, the disabled and later adults.

We are pushing for policies and reforms to move Mexico

and its families, closing inequality gaps, promoting inclusive

development and reconstructing the social fabric. The task is

immense, but the effort is worthwhile to create a system of

social policies and programmes that allow poor families to

have a basic level of welfare.

Social Development Minister Rosario Robles Berlanga with Doña María del

Socorro Cáceres y Gómez, a beneficiary of the +65 programme

Women working at one of the National Crusade Against Hunger

community kitchens

Image: SEDESOL