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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
Homeright to education

right to education

*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 […]

*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 […]

by Community Contributors

The Maré Museum, Rio de Janeiro’s Largest Installation-Based Favela Museum, Celebrates 18 Years

By Amanda Baroni Lopes • Translation by Staff • June 1, 2024

Clique aqui para Português Held on May 22, the “Tea of Memories” event celebrated the 18th anniversary of the Maré Museum, situated in Complexo da Maré, a group of 16 favelas in the North Zone […]

by Community Contributors

Discover ‘String of Memories’: A Book Written by Night School Students in Rio’s Rocinha Favela in 1983, During the Military Dictatorship

By Fernando Ermiro da Silva • Translation by Kay Alvito • May 31, 2024

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of RioOnWatch‘s series on Memories of Favela Power, which documents and celebrates the history of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas through narratives and reports from residents’ collective memory, […]

*Highlight

Complexo da Penha Hosts the 1st International Favelas Conference: Proposals Will Be Taken to the G20 Summit in November

By Amanda Baroni Lopes • Translation by Staff • May 11, 2024

Clique aqui para Português The 1st International Favelas’ Conference (IFC20) was held at the Central Única de Favelas (CUFA) headquarters in Complexo da Penha, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, on Monday, April […]

Posts pagination

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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.

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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
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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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