UmRio/OneRio is a rugby for development organisation providing the opportunity for vulnerable young people to build successful futures for themselves and their community of Morro Do Castro, a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

OneRio uses rugby’s core values of teamwork, discipline and respect to foster a safe environment for its participants to develop soft skills and build confidence. Regular rugby sessions act as the gateway to a number of essential services that OneRio provides its young people:

• Supplementary educational support at primary and secondary levels

• English language classes

• Employability skills workshops

• Pre-university entrance exam support

• Medical and Dental care

Through this combination of rugby and concrete opportunities for self-progression, OneRio prepares its students for entry-level employment opportunities that it also offers.

In doing so, the organisation delivers a targeted, holistic intervention aimed at the core drivers of poverty and gang involvement in the community. Below are some key statistics outlining the need for the programme:

Education:

• 68% of students in Morro Do Castro are underperforming at school.

• 52% are at risk of failing in Portuguese

• 84% are at risk of failing in Mathematics

Employability:

• 84% of 18-25 year olds registered at OneRio are unemployed

• 75% have never had professional experience

Healthcare:

• 66% of our participants identified understaffed/under-resourced healthcare services as a key challenge in Morro Do Castro

Drug-trade:

• 98% of entry to the drug-trade occurs between 13-21 years of age – a demographic that constitutes 71% of our participants

But OneRio is changing this.

The organisation has worked with over 400 young people in Morro Do Castro over the past 5 years. So far, the outcomes for these young people speak for themselves:

• 98% are more confident they can achieve their goals

• 88% think more about the future

• 89% of students most at-risk of dropping out of school are more interested in learning

• 87% of students who were neither in education/employment in January 2018, reengaged in education by March 2018

On the 3rd and 4th of August, we will be playing 28 hour touch rugby game in an effort to break the world record for the longest rugby match.

All of your sponsorship will go towards the continued provision of these vital opportunities to young people in Morro do Castro.

Click Here to go to the UmRio/OneRio Website