Government Volunteer Program Transferred Donations to NGOs Connected to Minister of Women
A charity program led by the First Lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, transferred, without public notice, private donations to evangelical missionary institutions allied with Minister Damares Alves (Woman, Family, and Human Rights). The Association of Brazilian Transcultural Missions (AMTB) was appointed by Damares to receive the funds, about R$ 240 thousand, according to documents from the Patria Voluntaria program, which is led by Michelle. AMTB is on the Federal Revenue website and on its own website with the same registration address as the NGO Atini, founded by Damares in 2006 and where the minister worked until 2015. Folha has visited the address, where a restaurant has been operating since November last year. Created by decree of President Jair Bolsonaro (without a party) in July 2019, Patria Voluntaria is coordinated by the Casa Civil and aims to encourage the practice of volunteering and stimulate the growth of the third sector, raising money from private institutions and passing it on to organizations social. The funds from donations transferred to NGOs come from the Solidarity Collection project, linked to Patria. The program has already consumed approximately R$ 9 million from public coffers in advertising paid by the Presidency's Secretariat for Social Communication. The advisory of the Ministry of Damares affirms that AMTB "brings together more than 50 institutions with capillarity throughout the national territory" to support the actions of Patria Voluntaria. The Secretariat for Social Communication did not clarify the criteria used for entities to receive funds. Translated by Kiratiana Freelon