In Rio de Janeiro
UMPMRS Director
Márcia Ferreira da Costa
Márcia Ferreira da Costa is from Rocinha. She founded União de Mulheres Pró-Melhoramentos da Roupa Suja (UMPMRS) in 2002 and has been providing childcare services in her community since then. UMPMRS offers a safe and nurturing environment for the children of the working poor in Rocinha, the largest favela (slum) in the city of Rio de Janiero. It offers the children three meals a day along with medical treatment and the services of a social worker as needed. The after school program serves as a safe setting for children to study and helps to keep them off the streets.