I read a fascinating article in the New York Times Magazine (thanks, Paolo for sending it via Mamacita).  The Magazine was a few months old (December 21st if memory serves) but I always love reading the Magazine so I've been browsing through it the past week or so. 

The article I read today is about a program in Mexico called Oportunidades (Opportunities for you gringos out there) that seems to be making a significant difference in the lives of the poor and very poor in Mexico.

The idea behind the program is quite simple.  In order to break the "cycle of poverty" wherein poor people pass on the very beliefs and values that help keep them poor, the program pays cash to women who are willing to implement changes in the way they raise their children.

Cash payments are tied to school attendance for the children, to the mother's attendance at various classes on nutrition and child rearing, and for annual physical exams for the children.

So instead of working in the fields after basic education, children are attending high school (and earning more money for their family by doing so than they would by working on farms for low wages like their parents did before them.)  Dreams are sparked along the way.  Young women dream of becoming teachers or nurses.

In a culture where machismo was the rule and girls were routinely not educated because their only lot in life was to become a wife and mother, this is a huge shift.  As the article outlines, it's not been without resistance, but change has come.

And it costs less than general welfare.  The infrastructure is minimal.  It's a fascinating project and one that has potential to teach us a thing or two about social programs and effectiveness.

Give the article a gander.  It's worth the time.

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