Francisca serves plates with food called Merenda to pupils during class recess at Sao Jose school in Morro Do Veridiano, Belagua Municipality, Maranhao state, Brazil. According to the National Household Sample Survey (Pnad), 2.8mn children and adolescents aged four to 17 are out of school. More than half (53%) come from households whose income per capita does not exceed half the minimum wage, a value of 477 reais ($123). While Brazil is in the top ten economies in the world, there are still millions of people in the northeast of the country who are in extreme poverty.
