00:00 The Landless Workers Movement in Brazil opened its 17th Solidarity Kitchen to help the victims
00:06 of hunger in the country, especially children.
00:08 I corresponded with the South American nation, Brian Meir, with this story.
00:14 In the poor Recife neighborhood of Papelão, the Landless Rural Workers Movement, or MST,
00:20 is opening a Solidarity Kitchen as part of its Christmas Without Hunger campaign.
00:25 Using food acquired from family farmers in their agrarian reform settlements, it will
00:29 distribute 200 meals a day, prioritizing children.
00:35 Most of the time, a lot of people who live around here don't have anything to eat.
00:40 So it is important that on an afternoon like this, they know that there is a Solidarity
00:46 Kitchen that will serve them a meal.
00:52 Although the MST already operates 17 Solidarity Kitchens in Recife, serving thousands of meals
00:58 a day, this kitchen represents its first partnership with a new federal government program which
01:03 will route staples purchased from family farmers as part of the National Food Acquisition Program,
01:08 or PAA, which was originally established to provide food to public schools and hospitals,
01:14 to community kitchens across the country.
01:16 PAA is a federal government food acquisition program that was created 20 years ago, in
01:25 2003.
01:26 Before Bolsonaro's government, it was nearly eliminated due to the almost zero funding,
01:30 but this year it returned with a budget of one billion reais to purchase food directly
01:35 from family farmers and donate it to poor communities and institutions that most need
01:39 it.
01:43 Thanks to solidarity from the MST, no child in Papua New Guinea will have an empty stomach
01:48 on this Christmas.
01:49 Brian Mier, TELUSUR, Recife.
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