In accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, mainly attending the 1st goal of No Poverty, and specifically tackling subgoals 1.3 (appropriate social protection including floors), 1.4 (access to basic services) 1.5 (exposure to climate events), Techo provided people in need with a dignified home through the use of Google Technology like never before. But beyond that, we gave them a better life.

In the world, there are thousands of abandoned places that don't even appear on Google. Communities that remain invisible. In Mexico, more than 47 million people don’t have a home, let alone an address. They lack basic services and are not recognized by the government.

In this context, Techo, an NGO that builds houses for the people that live in informal settlements, needed to help make these communities visible. And we did that by addressing the problem and by, literally, giving them an address using Google technology.

Techo has a commitment to improve housing and habitat conditions through the design, management, and construction of housing projects, as well as access to basic services for people who live in informal settlements. The Address The Invisible initiative not only fits into the NGO’s main objective, but improves their common practices towards a more sustainable result. Through the use of technology, they are no longer just building decent homes for the poor but also giving them an address so they can have access to start getting their official IDs, receive mail, and even call for an ambulance. But not just that, now we can pressure the government to get the recognition to plan ahead for basic services like potable water, electricity, and paving. Without a doubt, a great step towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In Mexico, more than 47 million people don’t have a home, let alone an address. They lack basic services and are not recognized by the government.

How to help make these communities visible?

To get recognition from the government to plan ahead for basic services like, potable water, electricity and paving to comply with the first step toward achieving the Global Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In the world, there are thousands of abandoned places that don't even appear on Google. Communities that remain invisible. In Mexico, more than 47 million people don’t have a home, let alone an address. They lack basic services and are not recognized by the government.

In this context, Techo, an NGO that builds houses for the people who live in informal settlements, needed to help make these communities visible. And we did that by addressing the problem and by literally, giving them an address using Google technology.

With the initiative in course, the communities, word of mouth, the subsequent ability of the settlers to start getting their official ID’s, receive mail and even call for an ambulance as a result of having a digital address, the attention of the authorities was caught.

TECHO presents: Address the Invisible, a social initiative where technology dignified communities that no one had seen before. Techo gave them a decent place to live.Then in collaboration with Google, through their geolocation technology called Plus Codes, we gave them an address.

We needed to make these communities visible to people, but above all, we needed the government’s acknowledgment.

Through the voice of the community, Techo, the volunteers, and with the demonstrable use of Google technology, we were able to lobby with local government leaders and get the recognition to plan ahead for basic services like potable water, electricity, and paving.

These codes not only gave them an address, but addressed the problem with the corresponding authorities.

First, Techo gave people in informal settlements a decent place to live. Then in collaboration with Google, through the use of their geolocation technology called Plus Codes, we gave them an address.

Plus Codes are alphanumeric codes that take into consideration latitude and longitude, totally free and open source and they work as a substitute for an address that allows marginalized people to start getting their official ID’s, receive mail, and even call for an ambulance..

And then, local governments pledged to plan ahead for basic services like, potable water, electricity and paving.

Though this initiative was mainly applied throughout Mexico, it has the scalability to reach all of Latin America and the world. Techo International is on its way to making this an international common practice.

Address The Invisible is not a regular advertising campaign. Consequently, results and metrics cannot be measured traditionally. However, the deep social impact and the success of the initiative is evident:

The support of government leaders like the Mayor of the Ixtapaluca Municipality in the State of Mexico, allowed people to change their attitude towards communities that were otherwise invisible. Now Mexicans see Techo not only as builders of decent homes for the outcast, but as allies to help them claim a dignified living with basic services.

As we stated before, the initiative has the scalability to reach all of Latin America and the world. Techo is on its way to make this an international common practice. Also, the development of new geolocation technologies like the Google Plus Codes that we used in this stage of the initiative, can improve the results as they are integrated in the future. Having an address can also add other partners to the initiative that bring all kinds of services unavailable to marginalized communities right now. For example, integrating the delivery of groceries and food to remote places directly to the home that Techo builds for these families.

Carbon emissions were not measured for this work. However, as volunteering, building, mapping with the codes, and even filming this specific study case were done mostly on foot (and even without lights and energy plants), the emissions were not noteworthy.