Sara Pajuelo: “I learned to value what I do, to recognize that caregiving is also work, even if in my case it’s unpaid”

Through the project, Sara strengthened her leadership skills and participated in the development of the Care Plan. She says the tools she gained during the training sessions gave her a new perspective on the work she did every day.

“Before, I saw it as something natural, something I simply had to do, but since I participated in the Transforming Care Economies project with UN Women, I’ve started to see things differently,” said Pajuelo.

“I learned to value what I do, to recognize that caregiving is also work, even if in my case it’s unpaid. And I wasn’t the only one who learned: now, when I talk with my neighbors and family, I also share what I’ve learned; I don’t keep it to myself. I talk about the importance of self-care, of having time for oneself, of shared responsibility, of the need to distribute tasks at home better, and that we don’t have to carry everything alone,” said Sara

^{Sarita at the care mural in Cerro Papa. Photo: UN Women Peru / María Pía Molero Mesía.} 

Participating in transformation: the right to care from the community’s perspective 

Participating in the development of the Care Plan gave Sara self-confidence and helped her realize that caregiving is not just an individual responsibility, but a right that must be guaranteed by the State and shared by everyone.

“We put on paper what we live every day, like the lack of access to basic services, the difficulty of getting around if someone gets sick especially people with disabilities and the elderly who need access to care services the danger of living in an area without paved roads or sidewalks, without a nearby health post. They listened to us, and we presented that plan to the municipality. That made me feel part of something bigger, of a community that fights together,” said Sara. 

^{Sarita at the viewpoint of Terrazas de Villa, Cerro Papa. Photo: UN Women Peru / María Pía Molero Mesía.} 

Cerro Papa has a population of around 5,000 people, many of whom are in vulnerable situations, facing multiple needs. Through the project, training sessions and care fairs are being coordinated with the municipality’s women’s office.

“For the first time, we organized ourselves as a community of neighbors, men and women, to participate in a fair jointly promoted by UN Women and the Municipality. That day, more than 15 services related to care and self-care came to our hill, with state institutions, private organizations, and universities present, bringing essential services closer to those who need them most. It was a transformative day that marked a before and after for our community,” said Sara.

Sara acknowledges the role authorities play in valuing care and those who provide it. She believes that the work women do both at home and in the community should not be ignored; on the contrary, the time they dedicate to caregiving, supporting, and sustaining must be valued. 

^{Sarita at the care mural in Cerro Papa. Photo: UN Women Peru / María Pía Molero Mesía.} 

“I ask the authorities to invest in us, to give us tools to keep learning, to keep building community, to have decent, paid work. And not just to listen, but also to act. To transform the Care Plan we developed through great effort into real change,” emphasized Sara. “For me, caregiving is also organizing, sharing what one knows, and fighting for a better life. I’ve started that path.” 

About the Project “Transforming Care Economies” by UN Women, funded by AECID 

In Peru, the project has launched two pilot experiences of territorial care policies in the districts of Comas and Villa El Salvador in the Metropolitan Lima region. Key achievements include: 

• Over 350 caregivers,90% of them unpaid women caregivers, strengthened their skills in basic care and self-care.
• 70 public officials were trained in care policies, enhancing institutional capacities for more co-responsible management by local governments.
• More than 2,500 people participated in high-impact communication activities, fairs, festivals, urban activations, and murals that brought care to the forefront of public spaces.
• 16 civil society organizations, neighborhood councils, community kitchens, popular dining halls, cultural organizations, educational centers, among others, are actively engaged in local care initiatives.
• Municipal ordinance proposals were developed to recognize the right to care at the local level and lay the groundwork for institutionalizing this agenda within district governments.