Supporting UmRio Food Security

We are UmRio, an NGO working in the Morro do Castro favela of Rio de Janeiro. In normal times, our central strategy revolves around using rugby as a vehicle for social change and development, helping young people access educational, health and social opportunities they would usually struggle to attend. However, in recent times, our project has expanded its focus on caring for the wider favela community, particularly focusing on food security.

Due to school closures and limited social benefits, hundreds of children and young people in Morro do Castro risk going hungry. In March we prioritised food security during our emergency planning, aiming to supply care packages to families who do not qualify for government food stamps.

Each care package costs £28 or $35, and will feed a family for a month. 

Over the past 4 months, we have delivered 9.7 tonnes of food (equivalent to 19,559 meals) to 80 families (reaching 315 people every month). Our ability to do this is thanks to our far reaching support network - you - who have covered 66% of the cost of this project up to date.

Today, whilst our initial projections indicated that schools would return to operation in August, unfortunately, due to Brazil's poor management of the crisis on several levels, the suspension of school (and in turn, access to school meals) has been extended indefinitely, which has left us currently unable to maintain our UmRio Food Security intervention.

As a result, we need to ask for your help. To maintain UmRio Food Security for the next two months, we need to raise £5,000, or $6250. We would be incredibly grateful if you would consider supporting us through this page (or continue supporting if you already have) and/or share our story with relevant contacts or networks who might be able to support us.