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Latest News
  • [ July 23, 2026 ] Surf Legend Ricardo Bocão’s Enduring Legacy in Rocinha [OBITUARY] by Community Contributors
  • [ July 17, 2026 ] ‘Favela Tourism as Citizenship: Pathways to a Community-Based, Sustainable Model’ — Public Hearing Highlights the Potential of Community-Based Tourism in Rio de Janeiro by Community Contributors
  • [ July 16, 2026 ] In the Context of Climate Overshoot, ‘Cities Are the Crucible and Fire That Drive the Change We Need, and That Change Will be Realized Through Housing,’ Says IPCC Coordinating Lead Author *Highlight
  • [ July 14, 2026 ] ‘There Is No Climate Justice Without Adequate Housing,’ Argue Leaders at First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum *Highlight
  • [ July 13, 2026 ] Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Milícias’—Vigilante, Off-Duty Police Gangs—Are Not a Parallel Power: They Are the State at Work [BOOK REVIEW] #UPPWatch
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*Highlight

Eco Ableism in Favelas: People with Disabilities and Atypical Families Speak Out About Challenges, Routines and Survival Strategies

By Ramon Vellasco • Translation by Dani Scott • July 7, 2026

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series created in partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the Digital Brazil Project on environmental justice in the favelas […]

#HousingWatch

Housing at the Center: What the World Urban Forum Teaches Us About Urgency, Climate and Invisibility [OPINION]

By Camila Jordan • Translation by Sylvia Schiller • June 29, 2026

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Camila Jordan published in Observatório do Terceiro Setor, click here. In May of this year, Baku, Azerbaijan, hosted the 13th World Urban Forum—the largest global event […]

*Highlight

Complex and Intelligent, the Favela Has Its Own Geography

By Preto Zezé • Translation by Staff • May 15, 2026

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Preto Zezé published in O Globo, click here.  In the year Milton Santos would have turned 100, perhaps the best tribute to the Bahian geographer is not […]

*Highlight

‘Maré’s Specials’ Combats Ableism and Guarantees Rights to Over 700 Atypical Families in Rio de Janeiro’s Largest Favela Complex

By Ramon Vellasco • Translation by Hannah McKenzie • October 15, 2025

Clique aqui para Português In Complexo da Maré, a group of 16 favelas with 140,000 residents in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone, the Especiais da Maré project (Maré’s Specials, in free translation) serves over 700 […]

Civil Society

Favela ‘Inclusion Project’ Transforms Lives Through Love of Others, Education, Sports and Culture [PROFILE]

By Pauline Okyere • September 15, 2025

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series of profiles of initiatives in Rio de Janeiro’s Sustainable Favela Network. Initiative: Inclusion Project (Projeto Inclusão) Contact: Facebook | Instagram | WhatsApp +55 (21) 964686394 and 976688714 […]

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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

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  • Organizing
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  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
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      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
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