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  • [ 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
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HomePacifying Police Unit (UPP)

Pacifying Police Unit (UPP)

#EvictionsWatch

Favela Residents As Urban Guinea Pigs [OPINION]

By Washington Fajardo • Translation by Dylan Blau Edelstein • September 19, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Time goes by, and those in Rio de Janeiro’s government continue to insist upon announcing grand schemes for the favelas. This time it’s a “grand boulevard” in the South Zone favela […]

Policies

Six Months of Rio de Janeiro Governor Witzel in the Favelas, Part 1: Public Security and Governance

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Gabriel Martins • August 21, 2019

Clique Aqui para Português  This is the first installment in a two-part article monitoring the actions of Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel since taking office, focusing on public security, governance, and social and economic […]

*Highlight

Thank You and Farewell: A Floating Tribute to Ecio Salles and His Legacy for Favela Literature

By Miriane Peregrino • Translation by Edmund Ruge • July 29, 2019

Clique aqui para Português  Last Tuesday afternoon, July 23, friends and family members of writer and cultural producer Ecio Salles (1969-2019) gathered at the Park Library, in downtown Rio de Janeiro, to pay homage to […]

*Highlight

Act Marks 2nd Anniversary of ‘Enough Violence! Another Maré is Possible,’ Demands Public Action

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Edmund Ruge • July 19, 2019

Clique aqui para Português On Wednesday, July 10, community residents and representatives from local organizations gathered in the Complexo da Maré favelas in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone to recognize the two-year anniversary of the […]

*Highlight

Hunger Is a Feminine Noun, Part 2: Greater Rio’s Japeri Municipality in Chaos

By Elvira Lobato • Translation by Tara Mittelberg • July 5, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Elvira Lobato published by Agência Pública click here for the series and here for the article. Angelina Nunes and Claudia Lima contributed reporting. Photographs […]

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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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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
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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
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