Saúde Criança Renascer

Renascer was founded in 1991 by Dr Vera Cordeiro, as a non-profit organization, with no political or religious affiliation. The constant admission/re-admission cycle of the children treated at the Hospital da Lagoa, a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil, was cause for indignation among the health professionals in the hospital. Many children were returning to the hospital after being released, often in more serious condition, some would even die.

Dr. Vera Cordeiro MD - Founder of Saúde Criança Renascer

Dr. Cordeiro attended Medical School at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro where she graduated in 1975. In 1979, she founded the Centre of Psychosomatic Medicine of Hospital da Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, which she headed until 1996. There she witnessed daily the drama of families, mothers unable to provide their seriously ill children with proper treatment and care once they were discharged from the hospital.

The fact that the children and their families returned to the same poor conditions that were often the primary cause of their disease, particularly affected her. The vicious cycle of poverty – disease - hospital admission - readmission - death they were in, had to be stopped. In 1991, Dr Vera Cordeiro, with the support of the staff from the Hospital da Lagoa and of members of the civil society, founded the Associação Saúde Criança Renascer (ASCR), whose key objective is the recovery of sick children and the restructuring of their respective families.

Dr. Cordeiro was elected an Ashoka fellow in 1992, an Avina leader in 2000, and a Schwab Social Entrepreneur in 2001.  In May of 2005, she was elected a board member of PATH, catalyst for Global Health.