Addressing favelas in Rio de Janeiro with Carteiro Amigo

Rochina, the largest favela in Brazil, is a maze of thousands of tiny roads and alleys. Crammed into the south side of Rio de Janeiro, its residents are full of economic ambition. However, with the favela virtually impossible to address, much of that potential has been stunted. Until now.

A local co-operative, Carteiro Amigo (Friendly Postman) is now using the what3words app to offer 3 word addresses to the favela’s residents. The app works on the most basic smartphones and offline. Even the patchy data connection in the area doesn’t stop couriers locating a specific 3 word address.

Addresses are written on stickers for people to use when ordering online. The system understands the district and the delivery station, simplifying the job for delivery.

It means small business like Carteiro Amigo can scale their operations, reduce time training new recruits and work out more efficient routes. And it means the favela’s residents now get their mail and online shopping purchases delivered direct to their door.

what3words and you

Without a precise addressing infrastructure, delivery and logistics becomes both challenging and costly. Every extra minute spent searching for a residential address, a pick up point or a specific location is time and money that will hit your bottom line.

For affected individuals, the lack of a reliable address can stop them from registering to vote, get a passport, open a bank account, or even buy something online.

Our partnership with Carteiro Amigo is just one of the many ways we’re helping logistics and delivery companies optimise their operations – at a local, national and international level.