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Latest News
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Portrait of a Centenary-Old Favela of Stilt Houses: Belém’s Vila da Barca Resists, Organizes and Fights for Sanitation and Adequate Housing #HousingWatch
  • [ November 30, 2025 ] The Story of Dona Pascoalina, Midwife and Healer of Morro do Borel by Community Contributors
  • [ November 15, 2025 ] ‘There’s No Such Thing as Normal After a Massacre’: One Week After Police Mega-Operation Kills 121 People, Residents From Complexos do Alemão and Penha Speak Out #UPPWatch
  • [ November 13, 2025 ] ‘Human Beings Forget That They Are Nature’: Favelas Teach the Path to the Future at the 2nd Favela Sustainability Festival Civil Society
  • [ November 12, 2025 ] Food Sovereignty and Culinary Heritage Connect with Fight for Climate Justice at the 2nd Sustainable Favela Festival Civil Society
Homewater

water

José Martins fights for proper sanitation in Rocinha. Photo by AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo
*Highlight

Water Activist José Martins Looks Back Over Five Decades Living and Organizing in Rocinha [INTERVIEW]

By Claire Jones • March 29, 2017

Clique aqui para Português José Martins de Oliveira, a long-time activist and organizer in Rocinha, and currently co-director of Rocinha Without Borders, marked exactly fifty years since he first came to Rio de Janeiro on March […]

Round table discussion. From left to right: Nilo Ovídio Passos, Dr. Julianelli, Luiz Paulo da Rocha, Sebastião Soares, José Stelberto Soares, Paulo Ramos, and Sérgio Ricardo Verde. Photo by Fernando Alvim
Civil Society

Rio Engineers and Representatives Criticize Water Utility Privatization at Roundtable on World Water Day

By Lisa Godde • March 26, 2017

Clique aqui para Português Wednesday, March 22 marked World Water Day. With the support of the Engineers and Architects Society of the State of Rio de Janeiro (SEAERJ) and NGO Baía Viva, the Engineering Club took […]

#HousingWatch

‘X-Week’ Debates Small vs. Large Scale Sustainable Infrastructure for Water and Sewage

By Lisa Godde • March 19, 2017

Clique aqui para Português From March 9 to 14, Studio-X Rio hosted x-Week as part of the celebrations of its six-year anniversary. Organized in partnership with the Columbia Global Centers, which celebrates its four-year anniversary, the Museum […]

Many homes in Rocinha don't have formal connections to the sewerage network.
#CommunityMedia

The Privatization of Water and What May Change in the Life of Favela Residents

By Michel Silva • Translation by Adam Lee • February 26, 2017

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Michel Silva in Portuguese published in Fala Roça click here. The law to privatize the State Water and Sewage Utility (CEDAE) was approved in a plenary of Rio’s Legislative Assembly […]

#HousingWatch

The Future of Urban Policy: The UN’s New Urban Agenda

By David Robertson • October 9, 2016

Clique aqui para Português The New Urban Agenda is responsible for establishing the policy frameworks that will guide the governance of the world’s cities for the coming 20 years. From October 17-20, 2016, the United Nations, […]

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RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
A Project of

About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

Contact & Support

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10 Years! Check Out Our Story:

Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
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    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
  • Donate

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