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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
Homecommunity leader profile

community leader profile

*Highlight

Community Pride: An Interview with Gilmar Lopes of Morro dos Cabritos

By Laura Gama • Translation by Kayla Boisvert • January 12, 2016

Clique aqui para Português “It is a wonderful place, surrounded by nature, and it’s where I was born and raised and where I have my roots!” – Gilmar Lopes Despite the negative stereotypes associated with […]

#EvictionsWatch

Leader of Quilombo das Guerreiras Shares Memories of Occupation, Struggle and Resistance

By Katja Majcen • October 5, 2015

Clique aqui para Português The Quilombo das Guerreiras occupation is a symbol of resistance and community organizing. From 2006 through 2013 over one hundred families occupied and built a community in an abandoned warehouse in […]

#EvictionsWatch

“I will leave my house, but not the struggle” – Jane Nascimento, during her eviction from Vila Autódromo

By Alexandre Magalhães • Translation by Sarah Jacobs • August 17, 2015

Clique aqui para Português Jane is one of the most important figures in the fight against favela evictions in Rio de Janeiro today. She has always been tireless in her fight: speaking out not just in […]

*Highlight

A Glimpse of Favela Julio Otoni, Guided by Community Leader Sizenaldo Marinho [VIDEO]

By Ava Rose Hoffman • July 31, 2015

Clique aqui para Português Julio Otoni is a favela nestled between the neighborhoods of Laranjeiras and Santa Teresa in the South Zone of Rio. The entire community is located at a single street address: 298 Doutor Julio […]

*Highlight

Favela Connection: How Touring Pavão-Pavãozinho Can Change a Kid’s Future

By Julia Jones • June 27, 2015

Clique aqui para Português On Saturdays in the community of Pavão-Pavãozinho, a high-reaching favela overlooking Copacabana beach in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, children stream up the steps to an airy patio in […]

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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.

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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
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • 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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