Levelling the Playing Field

To respond to the COVID-19 crisis in Brazil, OneRio is launching its Level the Playing Field Campaign to raise £10,000 that will support 139 people who are living on less than US$1 per day. The campaign will fund our scholarships programme in 2021, which provides a lifeline to the most vulnerable children and young people to personal, educational and professional development. 


A donation of any size will go a long way to support the scholarships scheme in 2021. Each scholarship costs £35 and provides a student with financial relief, internet access and individual mentorship for a month.  A donation of £ 315 would provide a student with a monthly scholarship for the remainder of 2021.


The average per capita income of prospective scholars is currently US$0.65 per day. Half of them are also unable to access the already limited emergency government aid, or social welfare. Meanwhile, between January and March 2021, we have seen a 200% rise in students reporting hunger. In addition to this, at a time where access to education (and indeed any form of social life) has become synonymous with internet access, 12% of scholars don't have internet access at home.


Our scholarships scheme includes one-to-one mentorship, and has proven to be an invaluable incentive for highly vulnerable students when they are at the crossroads of deciding whether to remain in education or training, or abandon personal goals to meet immediate needs.  


In 2020 the scheme took all scholars above the US$1 per day mark, with 91% reporting the mentorship gave them a sense of routine, and 85% reporting feeling more confident they could achieve their goals. 


To increase engagement, we aim to focus on the figure of 12% (those young people without internet access) by engaging you to stretch and challenge yourselves. Pick an activity: it could be walking, drawing, playing with your children, or even something as simple as time without your phone during the day. See if, week on week, you can do 12% more of that activity. We hope this will raise awareness and the necessary money by engaging those around you, but will also allow you to feel a tangible difference in your everyday lives!


If you would like to receive updates on the progress of our scholars or find out how else you can support the campaign, you can reach us on social media @umrioonerio. Alternatively, email [email redacted].uk, or Robert Malengreau, our director, on [email redacted].


Please share the page, document your efforts and spread the word. To level a playing field, everyone has to play. 


Tamo junto (always together),

UmRio/OneRio