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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
Homeempowerment

empowerment

*Highlight

Do You Know the Mysteries of Serrinha? The Source of Rio’s Cultural Abundance

By Flávio Silva • Translation by Cormac Whitney Low • April 16, 2020

Clique aqui para Português My name is Flávio da Silva França Alves, better known as Mestre Flavinho. I am a batuque and jongo percussionist, member of the Império Serrano samba school, and founder of Projeto […]

*Highlight

Popular Collective Unites and Empowers Black Women in the Backyards of Bosque das Caboclas, Campo Grande [INTERVIEW]

By Carla Souza • Translation by Ben Bildsten • November 22, 2019

Clique aqui para Português This is the fifth article in a year-long partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University to produce a series of monthly favela-sourced human rights reporting from […]

*Highlight

Insolar: Democratizing Access to Solar Energy in Santa Marta and Beyond [PROFILE]

By Colin Andrew • November 13, 2019

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series of profiles of initiatives in Rio’s Sustainable Favela Network. Initiative: Insolar Contact: Website | Facebook |Instagram | Twitter | Email Year Founded: 2013 Community: Santa Marta […]

*Highlight

The Art of Griots: An Inspiration for Black Storytellers

By Carla Souza • Translation by Ava Rose Hoffman • June 15, 2019

Clique aqui para Português On May 20, a calm day, students in the 14th Black Storytelling course start arriving at the House of Music—a comfortable space in Lapa, Rio de Janeiro—to the sounds of Alabê […]

*Highlight

Assertive Women with Social Commitment of the Baixada #SustainableFavelaNetwork [PROFILE]

By Sharonya Vadakattu • June 4, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Initiative: The Association of Assertive Women with Social Commitment (AMAC) Contact: Facebook | Twitter | Email Year Founded: 2012 Community: São Bento, Duque de Caxias (Baixada Fluminense) Mission: Empowering women, especially those who […]

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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

contact@rioonwatch.org
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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
    • Reference Articles
  • 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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