Conference delegates can choose from two educational tours, organized by IAS – the International AIDS Society – with civil society partners and local community-based organizations (CBOs) in Rio de Janeiro. The goal is to exchange knowledge, best practices, successes, challenges and innovative solutions through dialogue and experiential activities.
Registration will take place on a first-come, first-served basis. Each delegate can choose one tour and opt to be on the waiting list for the other tours. Demand for the tours is high, so we cannot guarantee space for all interested delegates.
The tours will take place on Wednesday 29 July. The IAS will organize and provide free transport to and from the relevant CBOs. Participants will meet in the conference venue.
IAS staff and local community members will accompany participants throughout the tours.
Tours are in English but for some of them, participants may need a mobile device and headphones to listen to live interpretation from Portuguese into their chosen language.
Participation in the tours is free for conference delegates.
For more information, please contact educationaltours@aids2026.org.
TOUR 1: Visit to Redes da Maré
Wednesday 29 July, from 09:00 to 10:30
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This guided tour will introduce participants to Redes da Maré’s work and the lived realities of the Maré favela complex. After a welcome at the organization’s main building and a coffee break, the group will travel by bus to a local primary health care unit and then to Espaço Normal, an internationally recognized harm-reduction initiative that supports people experiencing homelessness and/or people who use drugs through a rights-based, community and territorial approach. The tour will highlight how participatory initiatives can strengthen public policies and foster inclusive, sustainable development in Maré.
Tour schedule: Wednesday 29 July, from 09:00 to 10:30
Please note that participants will meet at the Riocentro before the tour starting time. All logistics details will be sent by email before the tour date.
Maximum number of participants: 15
About the organizer:
Redes da Maré is a civil society organization based in Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to promoting rights, social justice, and quality of life for residents of the Maré favela complex, home to over 140,000 people. Founded through community mobilization and formally established in 2007, Redes da Maré develops research, projects, and community‑based actions across areas including health, education, public security and access to justice, urban and socio‑environmental rights, and art and culture. Its work emphasizes participatory approaches, policy advocacy, and territorial development to strengthen public policies and foster sustainable, inclusive development.
TOUR 2: Visit to CEDAPS
Wednesday 29 July, from 14:00 to 15:30
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This tour will showcase how CEDAPS (Centro de Promoção da Saúde CEDAPS) strengthens community participation and advances health equity in vulnerable urban territories through participatory methodologies and community-based approaches. Following a welcome and introduction, participants will join a discussion circle on health promotion and community-based health surveillance in favelas, bringing community leaders together to exchange experiences. The visit will also include practical, interactive stations illustrating CEDAPS’s day-to-day strategies, tools, and materials.
Tour schedule: Wednesday 29 July, from 14:00 to 15:30
Please note that participants will meet at the Riocentro before the tour starting time. All logistics details will be sent by email before the tour date.
Maximum number of participants: 15
About the organizer:
Centro de Promoção da Saúde (CEDAPS) is a Brazilian non‑governmental, non‑profit organization founded in 1993, dedicated to strengthening community participation and promoting health equity in vulnerable and urban territories. Based in Rio de Janeiro and operating nationally, CEDAPS works to enhance public health policies and services through community‑based approaches, social technologies, and participatory methodologies, with particular focus on health promotion, youth engagement, prevention and care for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other public‑health challenges.