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Latest News
  • [ January 29, 2026 ] ‘It’s the Place of Resistance of Our Existence’: Duque de Caxias’ Culture Manor is a Hub for Art, Education and Leisure by Community Contributors
  • [ January 13, 2026 ] 10 Years Since the Rio Olympics: Vila Autódromo Continues to Resist Gentrification Pressures Amidst New ‘Olympic Barra’ Neighborhood #EvictionsWatch
  • [ January 8, 2026 ] COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES] *Highlight
  • [ December 31, 2025 ] ‘What We Want Aren’t Bodies on the Ground… It’s Recognition of [Our] People Creating Solutions’: Penha Favelas Hold Composters and Integrated Health Events Highlighting Local Climate Memories *Highlight
  • [ December 26, 2025 ] 2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas #MediaWatch
HomeWritersEmily Zislis

Writer: Emily Zislis

Cedae workers protest downtown Rio de Janeiro. Leo Correa/ AP 2017.
*Highlight

Privatization of Rio’s Water Utility During Pandemic Raises Concerns About Access for Favelas

By Emily Zislis • October 2, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is our latest article on Covid-19 and its impacts on favelas and is also part of our reporting partnership with The Rio Times. For the article as published in The Rio Times […]

*Highlight

Beyond Reform: Imagining the End of Police and Prisons in Brazil and the United States [REFERENCE]

By Chloe Villalobos, Emily Zislis • August 12, 2020

Clique aqui para Português Mass protests in the United States have sparked a debate about how to end police violence globally, even as cases elsewhere are characterized by different historical realities. These differences must be […]

#CoronavirusWatch

Resilient Favela Community Organizations During the Pandemic: Hear the Activists Speak [VIDEO]

By Emily Zislis • August 4, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is our most recent article on Covid-19 and its impact on the favelas.  On July 16, the Sustainable Favela Network’s (SFN)* Environmental Education Working Group held the online teach-in “How […]

#CommunityMedia

Favela Activists Share Communication Strategies to Combat Covid-19 at ‘Favela Hustle’

By Emily Zislis • June 25, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is our latest article on the new coronavirus as it impacts Rio de Janeiro’s favelas.  On June 4, Usina de Valores, a project launched by the Vladimir Herzog Institute to facilitate […]

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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Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
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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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    • Sanitation
  • Violations
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    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
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  • Content Map
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