Care is at the core of humanity. Las cuidadoras are at the heart of economic recovery, gender and labor rights for women in Latin America.
Women's unpaid care work and the unequal division of labor in households is being further exacerbated by COVID-19 perpetuating the feminization of poverty. Women in Latin America already spend almost three times as much time on unpaid care work compared to men according to UN Women.The care economy becomes key to the wellbeing for our communities and can leverage an economic opportunity and decent income generation for women in low and middle classes in urban LATAM. The caregivers cooperative aims to bring together the women's ability to provide care and to be able to earn a decent living, be able work in solidarity and enhance women's voices for social, economic and labor rights.The platform cooperative model of "Las cuidadoras" is created to unify the women's care workforce in making them the owners of their own entities, providing a safe platform to join with feminist values, providing education and training on how to provide care online and offline, give information about how to take care of their health and certify professional care.It is a right to care and be taken care of.
One of the main conversations in Latin America today is to dynamize/visualize the care economy to amplify gender equality and women rights "Las cuidadoras" Co-op is crafted as an online platform where women looking for employment can become members and start a cooperative in their own communities (w/guidelines) choosing to provide care work (childcare, elderly or people w/disabilities care during Covid-19 or domestic and healthcare post Covid) by locating demand for care work in their local communities. One of the main barriers to working as a care giver is the increased contact and risk of infection.The Co-op will enhance the use of collaborative methodologies to provide care online and offline while giving technology literacy courses for women members to boost their tech skills – Another barrier is the lack of access to energy/internet. The Co-op model can provide members a monthly help to pay for mobile phone internet access to work and learn online from home Co-op advocacy can influence gender lens policy for access to energy, connectivity,sanitation. Another barrier is the lack of certified care trainings in Latin America.The Co-op model provides women with trainings to certify themselves as professional caregivers. Machism is a barrier for women to thrive and have economic opportunities, the co-op can stimulate men with gender trainings to hone cultural/behavior changes and promote the redistribution of care within the household.The next step is public awareness.
"Las cuidadoras" Co-op model aims to transcend the tectonic shifts and instability happening due to COVID-19. Las cuidadoras is determined to weave the social fabric within the communities and provide formal income generation and include diversity with life and care at the center. We are enhancing solidarity among citizens and generating economic and labor opportunities as much as increasing health protection for women, recognizing the intersectionality and the inequality gaps that we live as Latinoamericanas, such as race, ethnicity, age or migrants.We are creating reproductive SERVICES for those in most need for care, our children, elders, disabled and the sick. Recognizing care experiences beyond dominant health institutions, acknowledging traditional wisdom and selfcare that becomes knowledge for communities and women's opportunities that can be transferred between generations becoming a social bond. All of this is retributes into healthier, more solidary, more equal, more just, more diverse, more caring and more peaceful societies. Las cuidadoras Co-ops aims to become a women economic empowerment tool as much as a political empowerment for women influencing policies in Latin America.This project intends to become a movement to economic justice, bring life at the center of economy and gender mainstreaming to policies that affect women beyond the pandemic for a transformative future for Latin America and a way out of the systemic crises that we are facing today.
