WHO ARE WE

HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION

The children and youth who lived in the streets near the Candelária Church in the center of Rio de Janeiro were cared voluntarily by Ms. Yvonne Bezerra de Mello, president of PROJETO UERÊ for ten years, and today, its Executive and Pedagogy Coordinator. In 1993, eight children and youth were assassinated by policemen in the Candelária Massacre. Many of the survivors moved to live under a highway overpass in São Cristóvão and continued to be cared for by Ms. Yvonne Bezerra de Mello. Under this overpass started the blueprint for the UERÊ School, which ran under precarious conditions for four years serving 120 children per day. Near this overpass there was a small slum of one thousand inhabitants. Many of the children from this community started to attend UERÊ where they received schooling and three meals a day..

In 1997, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro moved this slum community to the Complexo da Maré in Bonsucesso, a Rio suburb. The PROJETO UERÊ followed this population, operating until 1998 in temporary shelters provided by the municipality and then following them to their settlement in a close area called Baixa do Sapateiro.

On the pedagogical side, Mrs. de Mello created the UERÊ-MELLO methodology, specialized in children with constant traumas leading to psychological problems and learning disabilities.

The founders of PROJETO UERÊ were: Yvonne Bezerra de Mello, Álvaro Bezerra de Mello, Ayrton Secundino Ribeiro and Héber Moura Júnior.