eastern europe and central asia countries the largest programmes are indias schoolfeeding programme and the programa nacional de ahmentaqao escolar in brazil which cover and million children respectively for example following the global financial crisis the government of brazil was able to react quickly at low cost by scaling up programmes this had a significant impact reaching over million of the most vulnerable people and in turn contributed to domestic demand growth despite a decrease in gdp in of percent private consumption remained stable and resumed growing in the second half of berg and tobin the programme resulted in a percentage point reduction in poverty levels living on less than a day in beneficiary households between and ward eta it entails a cash transfer to the primary caregiver of a child who is under the age of and living in a household earning below a defined income threshold