The Social Protection Network, a set of government programmes meant to provide basic social services to low-income populations, was created as part of the loan agreement entered into by Brazil and the IDB, in 1999. This network has ensured investments in the social domain during the situation of budgetary restriction brought about by the international financial crises of 1998.

Despite not counting on specific funds, this set of programmes has computed investments of R$ 11.8 billion in one year, the equivalent of 104% of the annual contractual target, established at R$ 11.3 billion. With regard to the material execution, there has also been considerable surpassing of targets in practically all activities. Thanks to the network, in 1999 72.6 million school textbooks were distributed; 16.8 million pregnant women and children were vaccinated; 2.6 million workers were trained; and 145 thousand children and teen-agers went back to school, abandoning painful and debasing child labour.