What is your money worth? A series from the frontline of the cost-of-living crisis, where hard-hit people share their monthly expenses.
Name: Marielle da Silva*
Age: 42
Occupation: Part-time domestic help
Lives with: Husband Luís (44), twin sons Cosme and Damião (16) – both with special needs – and daughters Manuela (14) and Letícia (13)*
Lives in: Ocupação Vitória, a spontaneous, informal settlement of families on the outskirts of Diamantina, a city of about 45,000 people in rural Brazil. Apart from the bathroom, made of masonry and crowned with two water tanks, the family’s three-bedroom cabin, small living room and kitchen is made entirely of wooden planks.
Monthly family income: Due to his physical disability, Cosme receives a monthly benefit from the government equal to the minimum wage of 1,302 Brazilian reais ($258) per month – the only steady income in the household. While the family fights for Damião’s right to the same benefit due to his cognitive disability, Mariele works four days a week as a part-time housekeeper, earning 500 reais ($99) a month, less than half the legal minimum wage. Luís is a bricklayer, whenever he can find work. The average monthly income of the family is 2,000 reais ($397), which puts them in the very low income bracket. Institute for Applied Economic Research.
Total expenses for the month: About 2,200 reais ($437)
*The names of all family members are pseudonyms to preserve their privacy.