el amanecer del barrio – Uruguay

We have a bit of a treat for you during this last week of January.

As we were looking at how to properly write out an address so that our letters get delivered, we came across this gem.

For most of us, having a number on our house or a specific box where our letters are delivered is taken for granted. Not being able to receive mail because there is no standard way to find us is still a problem for many people around the world.

And it’s not just about having junk mail delivered. There is a lot of pride, safety and belonging that comes with a standard address. Not to mention that standard addresses are able to physically deliver the entire world to our door.

Sometime in 2010-11, a group of women in the Torres, Gringos Lagos and 25 de Agosto neighbourhoods of Tacuarembó, Uruguay, joined together to name their streets and give each house a number.

This short film shares the process of how they accomplished the numbering of 1,000 houses and what it means to them.