Feiras in João Pessoa: When a Cesta Básica alleviates hunger and gives hope

In João Pessoa, we support families with “feiras” (Cestas Básicas) – food parcels containing essential everyday items. An insight into the distribution process, why it is so important, and how your donation helps directly.

When shopping becomes a luxury

For many families in João Pessoa (Paraíba), what sounds like a matter of course to us—rice, beans, oil, milk, a little fruit—is no longer a routine. When there is barely enough money for rent, medicine, or electricity, daily shopping becomes a constant worry. This is exactly where SOS Criança Brasil comes in: by distributing feiras—as they are often called in Brazil—or cestas básicas, food parcels for families in acute need.

What does “Feira” or “Cesta Básica” mean?

In northeastern Brazil, people often say “fazer a feira” – doing the shopping for the week/month. If there is not enough money for this, a Cesta Básica steps in: a package containing basic foodstuffs (and hygiene products as needed) that provides relief for a family for a certain period of time.

For parents, this means

• fewer days without sufficient food,

• more stability in everyday life,

• and above all, children do not have to suffer from poverty.

Why our support in João Pessoa is so urgent

The cost of living is rising—and families feel the pinch immediately, especially when it comes to basic foodstuffs. According to the Pesquisa Nacional da Cesta Básica, the price of the “cesta básica” in João Pessoa was around R$ 600.00 in November. For many households, this is an almost unattainable amount.

Our help is therefore deliberately pragmatic and direct: we provide short-term relief to families so that children do not go to bed hungry and parents can plan for the future again.

What is typically included in a Cesta Básica

The exact contents may vary. They include, for example:

• Rice, beans, pasta

• Flour/manioc flour, sugar, coffee

• Cooking oil

• Salt, cookies

• Hygiene items (e.g., soap) and cleaning supplies

Important: These are products that families can use immediately—without any detours.

More than just food: dignity, relief, perspective

A Feira is not a “gift” in the superficial sense. It is a bridge when life is too difficult: after illness, job loss, an accident, or in phases when everything has simply become more expensive.

And we often hear the same sentence: “Now I can at least sleep peacefully again because I know that my children will have something to eat tomorrow.”

That is exactly why we do this work.

Thank you for making this possible.

SOS Criança Brasil works with a network in Brazil and Switzerland to ensure that aid has the most direct impact possible. Your donation makes these feiras possible—and provides concrete relief to families in northeastern Brazil.

Donate now