Here is a success story from the favelas, or shantytowns, of Rio de Janeiro. Plagued for years by violent crime, the favelas were awash in gangs, drug dealers, and high-end automatic weapons that even the local police didn’t have; thousands were killed during shootouts. The police were afraid to go in; kids growing up in the favelas idolized gang leaders; fear ruled the streets. The horrifying movie City of God, based on a true story, captured all this brilliantly well. However, with the soccer world cup and the Olympics coming up, the government recently adopted a whole new approach to addressing this problem and it is working out really well. Check out this report by Al Jazeera.