Resources

Organizations working in favelas

An annotated directory of organizations active in and with Brazilian favelas: community-rooted NGOs and collectives, research centers, and major networks. Listings are limited to organizations whose continuous activity is documented in their own publications and in independent reporting.

Rio de Janeiro: community-rooted organizations

Redes da Maré — Based in the Complexo da Maré. Founded in 2007 by Eliana Sousa Silva. Programs across education, public-security monitoring, women's rights, cultural production, and policy advocacy. Publishes the Boletim Direito à Segurança Pública na Maré. Website: redesdamare.org.br.

Observatório de Favelas — Based in Maré, Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 2001. Research, communication, and cultural-production organization producing a substantial body of work on Brazilian favelas, including the Imagens do Povo photographic-training project. Website: observatoriodefavelas.org.br.

Central Única das Favelas (CUFA) — Co-founded in 1998 by MV Bill and Celso Athayde in Cidade de Deus. National network of favela-rooted social and cultural action. Operates in dozens of Brazilian cities and internationally. Website: cufa.org.br.

Grupo Cultural AfroReggae — Based in Vigário Geral, Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1993 by Anderson Sá, José Júnior, and others. Cultural and social-action programs with a percussion-band core; subsequent expansion across multiple program areas. Website: afroreggae.org.

Voz das Comunidades — Based in Complexo do Alemão, Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 2005 by Rene Silva. Community-based news organization providing on-the-ground reporting from Rio's North Zone favelas. Website: vozdascomunidades.com.br.

Data_Labe — Based in Maré, Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 2014. Data journalism and research initiative on favela data, including public-security and infrastructure indicators. Website: datalabe.org.

Casa Fluminense — Rio metropolitan-region research and advocacy organization, with substantial work on favela-related public-policy questions. Website: casafluminense.org.br.

Nós do Morro — Based in Vidigal, Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1986 by Guti Fraga. Theater group and training program; many alumni have gone into Brazilian television and cinema. Website: nosdomorro.com.br.

São Paulo: community-rooted organizations

União de Núcleos, Associações de Moradores de Heliópolis e Região (UNAS) — Based in Heliópolis, São Paulo. Founded in 1978. One of Brazil's most sustained favela community-organizing institutions. Website: unas.org.br.

Instituto Baccarelli — Based in Heliópolis, São Paulo. Founded in 1996 by Silvio Baccarelli. Free orchestral and choral music education for community youth. Website: institutobaccarelli.org.br.

União de Moradores e do Comércio de Paraisópolis — Residents' association of Paraisópolis, São Paulo.

Cooperifa — São Paulo periphery poetry-sarau movement, founded in 2001 by Sérgio Vaz in the Capão Redondo district.

National and international

Catalytic Communities (ComCat) — US-based NGO supporting favela community organizing in Rio de Janeiro. Publishes RioOnWatch, an English-language news site providing favela community-based perspectives. Website: catcomm.org.

União Nacional por Moradia Popular (UNMP) — National housing-movement coordination, with substantial favela-engaged work. Affiliated with multiple local housing-movement organizations.

Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto (MTST) — National movement of homeless urban workers, with substantial engagement in informal-settlement organizing and in occupations adjacent to or evolving into favelas.

Research centers

Núcleo de Estudos da Violência (NEV-USP) — Universidade de São Paulo center on violence, public security, and human rights. Substantial body of research on Brazilian urban violence, including favela dynamics. Website: nevusp.org.

Laboratório de Análise da Violência (LAV-UERJ) — Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro center on violence and public security. Producer of the foundational LAV-UERJ evaluation of the UPP program. Website: lav.uerj.br.

Grupo de Estudos dos Novos Ilegalismos (GENI-UFF) — Universidade Federal Fluminense group on contemporary illegal economies, militias, and security dynamics. Producer of the Mapa Histórico dos Grupos Armados in Rio de Janeiro.

Observatório das Metrópoles — Multi-university network coordinating research on Brazilian metropolitan regions, including favela-related work.

Instituto Pereira Passos (IPP) — Municipal data and planning body of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Maintains the principal favela cartography for Rio.

This directory lists active and continuously operating organizations whose work is well documented. Many additional residents' associations, smaller NGOs, and community projects operate across Brazilian favelas; comprehensive listing is not possible in a single page.