Knowledge Sharing About Unpaid Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

This project aims to contribute to redistributing unpaid care work for approximately 6 million people in 8 African countries. It does so by increasing recognition and information about unpaid care and representing the voice of unpaid care workers. The project seeks to increase the representation of unpaid care workers in public dialogues by building the capacity among broadcasters and producers of 15 radio stations to implement an on-air dialogue (OAD) approach. This approach features a short carefully designed radio series to gather opinions via polling and interactivity tools shared with audiences to contribute to policy discussions. Global Affairs Canada seeks to develop these OADs in collaboration with Women’s Rights Organization. The project also aims to increase recognition by disseminating evidence and sharing media kits across the continent and by engaging local women`s rights organizations with policymakers to further encourage advancing gender equality and women’s rights. Project activities include: (1) conducting interactive radio approaches to promote an on-air exchange of knowledge about the value and inequity of gendered unpaid care work; (2) hosting public conversations that reflect women`s own experiences perspectives on and priorities regarding the value and inequity of gendered care work; and (3) creating scripts and other radio resources that are indefinitely accessible to 1 300 plus radio stations and over 3 000 individual broadcasting journalists to use in their future programs.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased representation of unpaid care workers in public dialogues about gender-transformative approaches to unpaid care work; (2) increased public recognition of the value and inequity of unpaid gendered care work; and (3) increased commitment by decision-makers and duty-bearers to respond to the rights and needs of unpaid care workers.