Rita Bonfim Silva

Forced removals draw fire in Rio de Janeiro

Rita Bonfim Silva is trying her best to keep up her normal routine: going out of her way to offer guests coffee, bread and butter.

But her life is likely to dramatically change very soon. The one room she rents in a crumbing three-level brick house in Metro-Mangueira favela in Rio de Janeiro is set to be demolished by the city as part of a re-development project under way in blighted areas of the city in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

But for Ms Silva, it’s not easy for her to pick up and move.