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Latest News
  • [ January 29, 2026 ] ‘It’s the Place of Resistance of Our Existence’: Duque de Caxias’ Culture Manor is a Hub for Art, Education and Leisure by Community Contributors
  • [ January 13, 2026 ] 10 Years Since the Rio Olympics: Vila Autódromo Continues to Resist Gentrification Pressures Amidst New ‘Olympic Barra’ Neighborhood #EvictionsWatch
  • [ January 8, 2026 ] COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES] *Highlight
  • [ December 31, 2025 ] ‘What We Want Aren’t Bodies on the Ground… It’s Recognition of [Our] People Creating Solutions’: Penha Favelas Hold Composters and Integrated Health Events Highlighting Local Climate Memories *Highlight
  • [ December 26, 2025 ] 2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas #MediaWatch
Homesense of belonging

sense of belonging

*Highlight

Meeting of the Waters in City of God: Local Project Strengthens Identity and Salvages Memory of the Community’s Rivers

By Gabrielle da Conceição, Lidiane Santos • Translation by Kay Alvito • January 22, 2024

Clique aqui para Português This is the final in a series of articles on water justice in the favelas resulting from the course “Climate Justice in Community Journalism: From Pitching to Writing.” The course, conducted by […]

Public participates of a special session with members of favela community museums during the 2023 IPPUR Week. Photo: Bárbara Dias
*Highlight

Urban Planners at Rio’s Federal University Get Special Class on Favela Climate Memory

By Bárbara Dias • Translation by Kay Alvito • December 28, 2023

Clique aqui para Português Invited by the Urban and Regional Planning and Research Institute (IPPUR) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and supported by the Research Support Foundation for the State of […]

*Highlight

Rio de Janeiro’s First Housing Cooperative: Explore the History of Shangri-lá In Taquara, Jacarepaguá, West Zone

By Felipe Litsek, Patricia Fernandez • Translation by Staff • November 18, 2023

Clique aqui para Português In the neighborhood of Taquara, in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone, nestled in a place popularly known as Boiuna, on the edge of a local river, a small community lives out […]

#CommunityMedia

An Homage to Favela Communications Pioneer Zé do Caroço: Community Media, Legacy and Samba [VIDEO]

By Amanda Botelho, Thayná de Souza • Translation by Staff • November 16, 2023

 Clique aqui para Português This video report, with English subtitles, relives passages of the life of favela communicator José Mendes da Silva, forever known as Zé do Caroço, whose name resonates in one of […]

*Highlight

RIP ‘Subnormal Agglomerations,’ Part 1: Local Diversity, Strength, and Belonging in a New Official Term

By Julio Santos Filho • Translation by Ezra Spira-Cohen • November 8, 2023

Clique aqui para Português This is the first article in a series of three about how Brazil’s census bureau, IBGE, held an unprecedented week-long workshop to debate how to change the term “subnormal agglomeration” used […]

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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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