Rio's favelas get World Cup makeover

Preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup are in full swing in Rio de Janeiro.

But it's not just the famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana that are getting spruced up for the competition.

On Saturday, Rio's hillside slums - known as favelas - got a little makeover of their own.

Volunteers join residents to paint around the area of Santa Marta.

It's a project sponsored by the paint company, Coral.

Delphine is an exchange student from France.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) DELPHINE, EXCHANGE STUDENT FROM FRANCE TAKING PART IN PROJECT TO PAINT SANTA MARTA FAVELA, SAYING:

"I don't think that we will help to solve the daily problems here but I think that yes it will help to bring some color and joy for the residents of the community."

Residents of the favelas face health and safety risks every day posed by untreated waste, spliced power cables and unregulated construction.

They are often run by drug gangs.

One Santa Marta resident says th