Vale invests hundreds of millions in Brazil poverty program

The Brazilian mining company Vale launched the Juntos Contra a Pobreza program to support families living in extreme poverty across several states in Brazil.

The company aims to reach 500,000 people by 2030. Since the initiative began in 2022, Vale expects to have reached approximately 90,000 people by the end of this year. Vale invested more than R$ 300 million directly into the program between 2022 and 2026.

Partner companies including Michelin, Fundação Banco do Brasil, Fundo Vale, and Hatch contributed an additional R$ 40 million. The program operates in 20 municipalities across the states of Maranhão, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Amazonas, and Pernambuco. The project focuses on expanding access to public services, creating income opportunities, and securing social rights. In certain areas, the international organization Aldeias Infantis SOS manages the execution.

In the town of Arari in Maranhão, the organization worked with 130 families to lower their multidimensional poverty index from 50.7% to 3.26%. In Rio de Janeiro, the project expanded to 200 families and reduced the average poverty index to 3.1% by August 2026. Vale describes the program as a voluntary social investment rather than a legal obligation or a reparation for past environmental disasters.

The company notes that while the two year monitoring period improves living conditions, it does not guarantee that families will not fall back into poverty due to health issues or job loss.