Rio Stories

In Rio Stories you meet five young people living in the favela Maré in Rio de Janeiro. Children growing up in Maré face high levels of poverty, limited public services, social and economic exclusion and human rights abuses. Maré has suffered decades of drug related violence due to the presence of drug factions and an armed militia group. Due to extremely high levels of violence, between 2014 and 2015 over 2,500 national Army troops occupied Maré, when this series was filmed. 

The martial arts club Luta Pela Paz (Fight For Peace) was founded in 2000 to give children and youth an alternative to violent life in the streets. The people portrayed in Rio Stories are all part of the club in different ways: one is a trainer, another a succesfull wrestler and a third a former gang member struggling to get back to a life without crime. Rio Stories is about them, told in their own words.

Luta Pela Paz was supported by Save the Children Sweden for 15 years. Luta Pela Paz started out as a neighborhood club, today they work with local partner organisations across the globe. This production was made by Save the Children Sweden and the production company Story AB.