Minha Casa Minha Vida Homes come to the Brazilian City of Jaboatao

Minha Casa Minha Vida, for those who don't know is a massive and very popular government backed affordable housing programme launched to reduce the current housing deficit in the country. Jaboatao ( or to give it its full name Jaboatao dos Guararapes) is located in the north eastern part of the country, it is at almost the easternmost 'tip' of the country as it juts out into the Atlantic facing Africa. The low-lying metropolis is also the second largest city in the state and can trace its origins back to a village founded by the Portuguese colonists before 1600 AD. Later in the seventeenth century the settlement was the site of two important battles between them and the Dutch who were trying hard to develop an empire in that part of South America. Following a long and difficult struggle The Dutch were eventually defeated and driven out and Brazil thereafter stayed firmly in Portuguese colonial hands, from then until nineteenth century independence. The site of the battles is maintained to this day as a military National Park, commemorating the victory.

Linked to this is the important local festival of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres (also called Festa da Pitomba). This is an annual event every Easter Monday which celebrates the supposed appearance of the Virgin Mary to local troops, inspiring them in their struggle against the Dutch. Nowadays Jaboatao is one of the component cities of the so-called MRR (Metropolitan Region of Recife). It is split into three large districts, Jaboatao itself in which trade and agriculture are focused is the least developed so far. Then there is Cavaleiro, a densely inhabited residential area and finally Prazeres which includes the administrative downtown sector, the coastal area (including 8km of excellent beaches) and some industry. The overall population is in excess of 680,000, roughly the size (or perhaps a bit less) of Manchester in the UK or Detroit in the United States. The whole city area of Jaboatao amounts to about 250 sq km (100 sq miles).

As regards local economics, the overall GDP of the city in recent years has been in excess of $R 7 Billion, which on a per capita basis compares very well with most other Brazilian urban areas. Some large industries have bases in Jaboatao. These include really big concerns such as Unilever, BASF and Vitarella as well as a large planned medical plant for vaccines run by the Swiss giant Novartis. In addition to these there is a host of smaller and secondary industries and services. Tourism is also very important. All these establishments provide ample scope for investment in the local economy.

As well as beach-related activities a focal point for leisure in the district is the popular Guararapes Park which is over 360 Hectares in extent (almost one and a half square miles). The Park is based on three hills, Telegrafo, Ferradura and Oitizero which provide excellent long-distance views of Recife and Jaboatao itself. The climate is very humid and tropical and the average temperature throughout the year is 28 degrees Celsius. Although there are some seasonal variations in climate these are not particularly large.

When any Brazilian city announces that Minha Casa Minha Vida Homes are going to be built in the area the city becomes an investment hotspot and foreign investors from all over the world show an increased interest in the area, why? because the programme is government backed and funded by brazil's federal bank, plus' the fact that their are millions of Brazilian families already on the waiting list for a new home makes this a very safe investment and anyone keen on safely investing in Brazil should take a serious look at this programme