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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
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#UPPWatch

38-Year-Old Woman Fatally Shot at Her Doorstep While Talking to Neighbors in Alemão

By Betinho Casas Novas • Translation by Margó Hufstetler • March 28, 2015

For the original in Portuguese by Betinho Casas Novas, published in Voz das Comunidades, click here. Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) officers from Complexo do Alemão arrived to assist Vanessa, but she did not survive the injuries. Just 38 […]

#UPPWatch

Amnesty International Report Reveals Brazilian Human Rights Crisis

By Nicole Froio • March 4, 2015

Clique aqui para Português An Amnesty International report launched Wednesday February 25 revealed a worrying human rights crisis in Brazil. The Brazilian chapter of the report State of the World’s Human Rights 2014/2015 raises concerns about […]

#UPPWatch

Debate Reflects on Rio’s Pacifying Police Units

By Ian Waldron • November 22, 2014

In 2008 the Rio City government began the ambitious project of installing Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) in many of its favelas, today almost 40 in total. Six years later the program continues to be highly controversial. […]

#CommunityMedia

Community Media Profile: Maré’s ‘O Cidadão’ Newspaper

By Cerianne Robertson • September 1, 2014

Clique aqui para Português Check out the complete series of community media profiles here. On Saturday August 23, staff from Jornal O Cidadão (‘The Citizen’ Newspaper) distributed copies of the newspaper across the sixteen favelas that form Complexo da […]

#UPPWatch

One Week After the World Cup: Alemão Cable Car Closed Over Daily Shootouts. Residents Terrified.

By Nicole Froio • July 22, 2014

Clique aqui para Português The lives of hundreds of residents in Complexo do Alemão have been disrupted by daily armed conflicts since the 2014 World Cup ended on July 13. According to residents, a teenage […]

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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.
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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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Pastoral de Favelas
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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

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