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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
Homefavela vs. asphalt

favela vs. asphalt

*Highlight

Rio de Janeiro: A Laboratory for Political Control [OPINION]

By Gizele Martins • Translation by Sharon Gogar • April 22, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Gizele Martins* published by Brasil de Fato click here. Favelas and peripheries are authorities’ areas of choice for police to experiment with weapons and […]

*Highlight

How a Scholarship is Helping Me Study International Relations and Make the World Better [PROFILE]

By Mareen Butter • Translation by Dylan Blau Edelstein • February 22, 2019

Clique aqui para Português João Victor Teodoro, a resident of Pavão-Pavãozinho, has actively worked in his community to make the world a better place. Awarded a scholarship from the federal Student Financial Aid Fund (FIES), […]

*Highlight

‘Intimate Favela’: Portraits of the Inner Lives of Favelas and Their Residents [IMAGES]

By Antoine Horenbeek • January 28, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the project “Intimate Favela,” realized in collaboration with Catalytic Communities,* photographer Antoine Horenbeek was an overnight guest at the homes of individuals and families living in a few of Rio […]

*Highlight

‘My Father Entered the Drug Trade So I Could Become a Lawyer’ [OPINION]

By Joel Luiz Costa • Translation by Sarah Jacobs • January 17, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Joel Luiz Costa published by The Intercept Brasil click here. I was born in Jacarezinho, a favela in Rio’s North Zone, and raised there by […]

#ParticipationWatch

Gubernatorial Candidates in Alemão and Maré: ‘Favelas Should Be Treated No Differently’

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Sharonya Vadakattu • September 28, 2018

Clique aqui para Português  Vila Olímpica Carlos Castilho in Complexo do Alemão was quite empty as the Meeting Between Favelas and Gubernatorial Candidates in Rio, organized by the Favelas News Agency (ANF), began on Saturday, September 15. The low […]

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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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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
    • North 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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