Cooperativism in Uruguay's housing market, Iraqi toxic landfills and 'uberisation' of mental health in Brazil
DISPATCH №56
Hello and welcome. Each week, Translator’s Dispatch brings you summaries of three compelling stories from media beyond the Anglosphere. It’s our way of helping us all read the world a little differently, to get out of our mono-lingual media bubbles. Feel free to share.
We begin in Uruguay, where a report explores a decades-old cooperative housing model that has helped thousands of working-class families build their own homes while limiting speculation in the age of Airbnb.
From Iraq, an investigation documents the human cost of unregulated landfills in Diyala governorate.
And in Brazil, reporters examine how online therapy platforms are reshaping the profession of psychology.
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Brick by brick
How mutual-aid construction has helped thousands of working-class families secure homes while limiting real-estate speculation in Uruguay
Published in El País’s América Futura section and reported by Noor Mahtani, this article explores Uruguay’s decades-old cooperative housing system, which allows low-income families to build and own homes through a model of collective labour, state subsidies and community governance.
The story begins with Patricia Ríos, a domestic worker who spent years paying more than half her income on rent before joining a housing cooperative in Mercedes, Uruguay. Alongside 29 other families, she helped construct her own home through the country’s “Mutual Aid” program, dedicating several hours each day to building the cooperative’s apartments. The model, first introduced in the 1960s, requires residents to work together during construction while receiving government support through subsidised loans and technical guidance from architects, lawyers and social workers.
Uruguay now has around 730 housing cooperatives, and more than 20,000 homes have been built through this approach in the past 15 years. The system does more than provide housing. Participants collectively manage finances, make decisions about land and design, and develop new organisational skills. Experts say this process empowers residents while strengthening local communities.
Unlike conventional property markets, cooperative housing sharply limits speculation. Homes can be inherited or sold, but usually only to other cooperative members, preventing the rapid price inflation seen in many cities affected by short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb. As a result, Uruguay has maintained relatively high levels of decent housing: 57.3% of citizens own their homes, and most properties have reliable access to electricity, drinking water and sanitation.
The article places Uruguay’s experience within a wider regional crisis. Across Latin America, declining wages and rising property speculation have pushed homeownership out of reach for many younger people. In countries such as Colombia, Chile and Mexico, housing costs and inadequate public investment have forced many families to remain renters or live with relatives.
Uruguay’s cooperative system offers a partial alternative. Beyond building apartments, the program reshapes neighbourhoods by bringing infrastructure, services and social networks into previously underdeveloped areas. For participants like Ríos, the process is as transformative as the result. Working side by side with neighbours, she says, has taught her that collective action can achieve what individuals alone cannot.
The original article by Noor Mahtani, ‘El cooperativismo, el secreto de Uruguay contra la especulación inmobiliaria en tiempos de Airbnb’ was published in Spanish by El País on September 15, 2025.
It is available here.
El País is a Spanish daily newspaper headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Through their América Futura section, they cover sustainable development, innovation and technology in the Americas, and are widely regarded as one of the most influential newspapers in the Spanish-speaking world.
Summary by ZN
Slow death in Diyala
Illegal landfills in eastern Iraq expose residents to toxic smoke and disease as environmental laws go unenforced.
Published by Daraj and reported by Tamara Emad, Istabraq Al‑Zubaidi, and Israa Tariq, this investigation documents how unregulated landfills in Iraq’s Diyala governorate are exposing nearby communities to severe environmental and health risks despite years of official closure orders.
The reporting focuses on the Kanaan and Al-Khalis landfill sites, located east of Baghdad, where waste continues to be dumped illegally by several municipalities. Residents and scavengers work and live among mountains of garbage that frequently burn, releasing toxic fumes. Women and children sift through waste to survive, often earning only a few dollars a day while handling hazardous materials such as medical waste and chemicals without protective equipment.
The investigation follows workers like Shaima Alwan, a displaced mother of seven who scavenges for recyclables to support her family. She and others describe constant health problems, including respiratory illnesses, skin infections and untreated wounds. Children are also involved in the work, despite the risks and the disruption to their education.
Official documents reviewed by the reporters show that the Kanaan landfill was ordered to close in 2017 for operating without environmental approval. However, the site continues to function and has accumulated years of fines without meaningful enforcement. Local officials acknowledge the violations but argue that the landfill cannot be shut down because there is no alternative waste disposal system for the region’s 700,000 residents.
Environmental experts warn that uncontrolled dumping and burning contaminate groundwater and soil with toxic substances, while releasing dangerous gases such as methane and dioxins into the air. Nearby villages report rising cases of asthma, allergies and chronic respiratory disease, particularly among children.
Beyond the immediate health crisis, the investigation highlights wider structural failures in Iraq’s waste management system. The country produces around 50,000 tons of solid waste daily, yet most landfill sites lack environmental approval and recycling remains minimal. Iraq currently ranks near the bottom of global environmental performance indices.
For many families in Diyala, the landfill economy has become both a livelihood and a trap. Without social protection, education or employment opportunities, hundreds depend on scavenging despite the dangers. Residents warn that unless authorities act, entire communities may eventually be forced to abandon their homes to escape the pollution.
The original article by Tamara Emad, Istabraq Al‑Zubaidi, and Israa Tariq, ‘ مطامر غير نظاميّة وقرارات إغلاق معلّقة : الموت البطيء يلاحق سكان ديالى العراقية’ was published in Arabic by Daraj, on January 9, 2026.
It is available here.
Daraj is an independent pan-Arab digital media platform founded in 2017 and headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon.
Summary by ZN
The ‘uberisation’ of psychology in Brazil
Digital platforms promising affordable mental health care are pushing psychologists into precarious gig-style work
Published by Repórter Brasil and reported by Gabriel Daros, this investigation examines how online therapy platforms are reshaping the profession of psychology in Brazil by introducing gig-economy dynamics like ride-hailing services.
The article focuses on digital platforms such as PsyMeet and Central Psicologia, which connect patients with therapists while charging psychologists a monthly subscription fee to appear on their websites. Sessions advertised on these platforms can cost as little as R$30 (about £4.50), far below the R$213.93 (about £30) minimum consultation fee recommended by Brazil’s professional associations.
Psychologists interviewed for the report say the system forces them into intense competition and unstable income. Because clients often choose the first therapist who responds, professionals feel pressure to remain constantly available, replying to messages late at night or during weekends to secure appointments. Some report shortening therapy sessions or seeing multiple patients in a row to make the work financially viable.
Labour experts warn that this model creates a grey area in employment law. Although platforms describe therapists as independent professionals, prosecutors argue that when companies influence pricing, procedures or client distribution, workers may effectively be ‘false self-employed’ rather than genuine freelancers.
Professional associations have also criticised the platforms for presenting extremely low prices as a form of social therapy aimed at vulnerable patients. According to union representatives, the approach transforms a practice traditionally offered voluntarily by therapists into a commercial marketing strategy designed to attract both professionals and clients.
For many newly qualified psychologists struggling to build a client base, the platforms appear to offer opportunity but often deliver little financial stability. After paying subscription fees and professional expenses, some therapists say they barely recover their costs.
The investigation suggests that the growing “platformisation” of therapy risks undermining an established profession while reshaping mental-health care into a fast-paced gig economy.
Publication Details:
The original article by Gabriel Daros ‘ Plataformas ‘uberizam’ trabalho de psicólogos com consulta a R$ 30’ was published in Portuguese by Repórter Brasil, January 12, 2026.
It is available here.
Repórter Brasil is a Brazilian non-profit investigative journalism organisation and digital news platform founded in 2001 and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil.
Summary by ZN
Don’t miss out. Get your copy of Translator Issue #2
Inside, you’ll find investigative and deeply human stories from Brazil, Tunisia, Japan, Belgium, Sweden and beyond. Discover Muhammad al-Zaqzouq’s profound essay on fatherhood under siege in Gaza, Tunisia’s environmental activists fighting back against industrial pollution, and how three young Dutchmen cornered the nitrous oxide market.
Plus: Ishan Tankha’s striking photo essay on Nepal’s Gen Z revolt, Fairuza Hanun reviews Khairani Barokka’s Annah, Infinite, and our first print edition of Read Between the Lines, where Jessie Lau unpacks media narratives around China’s ‘Mask Park incident’.
