In 2006 Mundo Real began working on its first project in the large urban slum of Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro. We were invited to work alongside the local residents of Rocinha to develop the project Primeiros Passos (First Steps). The goal of Primeiros Passos is to respond to the unmet rehabilitative, therapeutic, supportive, and recreational needs of Rocinha’s physically and mentally challenged residents and their families.

Watch our short documentary about Primeiros Passos at: www.youtube.com/mundoreal21

In less than six months since its founding, Primeiros Passos has successfully organized services and assistance for over 100 families in the form routine house visits, educational workshops, transport, and much needed medical supplies. Primeiros Passos Director and Founder Cely Ferreira de Oliveira is a resident of Rocinha and the mother of a child with Cerebral Palsy.