The Secretariat for Economic Development, Labor and Income of the Federal District (Sedet-DF) has a government microcredit program for those who are undertaking informal businesses and need support. With Prospera, run by the Subsecretariat of Microcredit and Solidarity Economy, several entrepreneurs in the Federal District have access to letters of credit and carry out projects, achieving success in their endeavors. Last week, 13 were awarded the project, which has attracted more and more interested parties. In 2022, 90 urban contracts were closed, totaling R$1.28 million in credits released.
This year, more than R$6 million in resources have already been released by the program, reaching 300 approved operations and almost a thousand jobs created. According to Bárbara Oliveira, from the Subsecretariat of Microcredit and Solidarity Economy, Prospera also prevents businesses from going bankrupt.
“The structure of the program is precisely to make this working capital viable. People literally leave the unemployment line and become small businesses, small businesses. It is important to promote this favorable creative environment, which in just a few years is already opening up jobs,” she says.
Small businesses, big changes
Juliana Kevelyn Alves Pereira, 32 years old, is a trader at Point dos Cosméticos, in Ceilândia Sul. She says she discovered Prospera through her neighbor’s store, shortly after opening her own business. The businesswoman wanted to improve her own store and, after sharing experiences, applied for the microcredit offered by the program, which also includes business mentoring in partnership with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae).
With the investment, she purchased the products that were most requested by her customers. The greater variety of products attracted more people to the store. Sales reached around R$40,000, almost double the program’s investment.
“It helped a lot because as it’s a new store, I invested in things we didn’t have, high-priced products, which attracted more attention. I want to praise the initiative, the staff who serve us are very receptive and willing to help”, declares Juliana Kevelyn.
Microentrepreneur Charlene Batista da Silva, 42, takes care of the administrative side of ACR Assados e Restaurante. When she started, in February 2020, the idea was to focus only on roasted meats. However, due to customer requests, it needed to offer other options.
Charlene used the microcredit program offered by Prospera to buy what she needed to set up the restaurant: refrigerators, freezers and other equipment.
The trader says she found out about the program in 2016, through leafleting carried out at one of Sebrae’s fairs. Charlene even took courses offered in the administrative and sales areas. “I was a beginner, just starting out in this field, which, during the pandemic, delivery helped to sustain. Today interest rates abroad are very abusive. At Prospera they offer a good opportunity to pay in installments, so you can organize yourself to pay properly. For those who are starting now, it is a good choice, doing something they enjoy so they can get a return”, highlights the micro-entrepreneur.
How the program works
Prospera uses a fund that comes from public resources, the Fund for Employment and Income Generation (Funger). To release credit, you must be in good standing with the DF Finance Department (Sefaz), with a negative debt certificate.
Credit lines are based on socioeconomic issues. People registered in the single register can have access to the social line, which provides up to R$2,500. For those who are self-employed and are not in the low-income category, there is up to R$8,000 available through the individual line. In terms of legal entities, the limit is up to R$57,000 in working capital for small companies, with CNPJ and individual micro-entrepreneurs (Mei).
There are also solidarity endorsement groups, with up to R$25,000 for investment. Interest rates also vary depending on the line of credit. For individuals and legal entities it is a rate of 0.9%, while for the social line it is 0.4%.
To sign up for Prospera or get more information, just access the Sedet website or go to any worker agency. A service password is provided there and it is now possible to start the credit process.
With information from Agência Brasília
The post Government microcredit program generated almost a thousand jobs in 2023 appeared first in Jornal de Brasília.
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