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Latest News
  • [ February 28, 2026 ] Meet the CIEPs: In Rio de Janeiro, An Ahead-of-Its-Time Education Policy Turns 40 Having Resisted Decades of Dismantling by Community Contributors
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Brazil Elections 2026: Favela Communicators Fight Misinformation and Digital Vulnerability #CommunityMedia
  • [ February 15, 2026 ] Violent Rains Ravage Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas—Causing Floods and Landslides Ahead of Carnival—Show #VoicesFromSocialMedia #CommunityMedia
  • [ February 13, 2026 ] Queens from the Favelas: Meet Homegrown Rhythm Section Queens Upholding Black, Peripheral and Female Leadership in Rio’s Carnival *Highlight
  • [ February 11, 2026 ] In Serrinha Favela, Kids Make Things Happen! Community Project ‘Mulecada Que Agita’ Continues the Legacy of Generations of Sambistas and Jongueiros [INTERVIEW] *Highlight
HomeCosme Velho

Cosme Velho

*Highlight

Cerro Corá Residents in Motion: Favela Collective Strengthens Community Through Literacy, Memory, Culture and Film [PROFILE]

By Bárbara Dias • Translation by Marina Devine Guzmán • August 6, 2025

Clique aqui para Português In 2013, in the Cerro Corá favela, nestled between the neighborhoods of Cosme Velho and Santa Teresa, in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone, the Cerro Corá Residents in Motion Collective was […]

*Highlight

New Futures, Alternative Pasts: Personal Reflections on Racial and Intergenerational Coeducation Inside a Mixed Race Brazilian Favela Family

By Nathanael Araujo • Translation by Sharonya Vadakattu • March 7, 2022

Clique aqui para Português This article is the latest contribution to our award-winning reporting project, Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro. It is also part of a series created in partnership […]

by Community Contributors

Rio’s Far West Zone Holds Debate About Importance of Memory and Unity for Region’s Favelas

By Beatriz Carvalho • Translation by Catherine Osborn • August 23, 2020

Clique aqui para Português On July 22, the Historic Orientation and Research Nucleus of Santa Cruz (NOPH), through its Connected Stories project, conducted the online discussion “Sub-neighborhoods of Santa Cruz: favela communities?” The six speakers […]

*Highlight

How Do Favela Youth Access Brazil’s Top Universities? The Role of College Exam Prep Courses

By Thaís Cavalcante • Translation by Tara Mittelberg • July 9, 2019

Clique aqui para Português “The idea of universities for everyone doesn’t exist… Universities should be reserved for the intellectual elite.” These are the words of Brazil’s recently dismissed Minister of Education Ricardo Vélez-Rodriguez, spoken in […]

*Highlight

The Story of UERJ Affirmative Action Beneficiary Lita Ribeiro and How She Fulfilled Her Dream [PROFILE]

By Mareen Butter • Translation by Leila Lak • February 5, 2019

Clique aqui para Português In this profile, Lita Ribeiro—a resident of the Guararapes favela, mother of two, and affirmative action beneficiary at the School of Social Work at the State University of Rio de Janeiro […]

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

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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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