Disturbed by the inequalities and lack of opportunities that marked her childhood on the outskirts of São Luís do Maranhão, social worker Duci França dreamed of a more just, humane, and colorful world.

In 2018, after years of working on programs and projects where she didn't see the results reaching those who needed them most, she decided to carry this dream forward. Thus, the Cores do Mará Institute was born to provide children and adolescents from Maranhão with access to quality education - creative, enchanting, and purposeful - capable of broadening horizons and transforming realities.