NAMIBIA: Bishop Kameeta calls for an official study of the Basic Income Grant

by | May 27, 2010 | News

Bishop Zephania Kameeta of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia and of the BIG Coalition of Namibia called for President Pohamba to establish a consultative forum on the national introduction of a Basic Income Grant. He wants the forum to spend three months to study the BIG pilot project that recently concluded in Otjivero, Namibia. The forum could then make recommendations on whether BIG should be introduced nationally. Kameeta has been responding to a government that has been unwilling to take the results of the pilot project seriously. The New Era newspaper quoted President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s saying, “money cannot be dished out for free to people who do nothing”.

Kameeta replied, “It is an insult to the young men and women who go out without food and come every morning until noon to stand at traffic lights looking for jobs. They are not lazy, they are hunting for jobs but don’t find them because there are no job opportunities,”

Results of the project have been impressive. Living conditions of people at Otjivero significantly improved. New Era reports that unemployment dropped from 60 percent to 40 percent, food poverty from 72 percent to 16 percent. Self-employment increased by 300 percent. School dropout rates fell from almost 40 percent to zero percent, and child malnutrition dropped from 42 percent to 10 percent.

A story on the issue by Irene !Hoaes is online at:
https://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=10923

The BIG Coalition’s press release including its call for study of BIG and other information about the pilot project can be found at the coalition’s website:
https://www.bignam.org/

BRAZIL: ReCivitas reports on its consortium Basic Income Of Citizenship At Quatinga Velho, Mogi Das Cruzes, Sao Paulo (state), Brazil.

by | Mar 17, 2010 | News

On the 25th of October 2008 the Instituto pela Revitalização da Cidadania, in the small community of Quatinga Velho at the municipality of Mogi das Cruzes, ReCivitas began an independent a pilot project in the Basic Income of Citizenship (BIC) in line with the principles of universality and unconditionality. The organizers hope that the experience of this project will help educate the public about BIC, paid monthly, in cash, to all local residents, at any time they wish to participate in the project, without any discrimination or requirement to reciprocate. The project is financed by a consortium of Natural Persons formed exclusively for this purpose The project which was originally expected to last for one year and pay a monthly amount of R$30,00 to 27 members of this community. In November of 2009, at the meeting to present the results of first year of experience, the consortium decided to continue the project for another year. After 15 months, the project pays unconditional income to 67 residents of Quatinga Velho. For more information, or instructions on how to donate, contact: recivitas@recivitas.org.br.