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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
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Writer: Laura Fairman

Civil Society

Vidigal’s Organic Medicinal Roof and Living Gallery Declared Rio Heritage Site

By Laura Fairman • December 28, 2016

Clique aqui para Português On Niemeyer Avenue at the entrance of Vidigal, in the community’s Human Rights Plaza and at its first kombi and moto-taxi stop, there’s a colorful graffiti wall portraying the community’s history in a sort of territorial museum. […]

Civil Society

2016 Election Reflections: Brazil and the United States

By Laura Fairman • December 3, 2016

Clique aqui para Português The aftermath of the 2016 election season has left voters, pollsters, and the international community alike with plenty of questions. Brazilian citizens went to the polls in October for the first […]

*Highlight

Rio’s Zero Waste Week Convenes Community Environmental Leaders to Share Best Practices

By Laura Fairman • October 31, 2016

Clique aqui para Português Students, professors, professionals, and civil society actors gathered last week in Rio de Janeiro for Semana Lixo Zero, or Zero Waste Week. Led by the non-profit Instituto Lixo Zero Brasil, attendees participated […]

#Rio2016

In the Shadow of the Hill: Film Explores Police Violence and Community Organizing in Rocinha [FILM REVIEW]

By Laura Fairman • October 10, 2016

Clique aqui para Português Dan Jackson’s 2016 feature-length film In the Shadow of the Hill humanizes the very real changes imposed on residents of Rocinha as the city prepared to host the 2014 World Cup […]

#ParticipationWatch

Complexo da Maré Hosts Debate with Rio’s Mayoral Candidates

By Laura Bachmann, Laura Fairman • September 20, 2016

Clique aqui para Português On Thursday, September 15, three mayoral candidates attended a public debate hosted in Complexo da Maré in Rio’s North Zone. The debate was organized by A Maré que Queremos (The Maré That We […]

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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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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  • Violations
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    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
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  • Content Map
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