Transforming care transforms lives: toward the autonomy of peruvian women

Investing in care reduces the burden of unpaid work on women, who have historically been the primary caregivers. This allows them more time to access the labor market, improve their financial situation, and contribute to local economic growth. With funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), UN Women is implementing the project “Transforming Care Economies”, which proposes a territorial perspective in the development of comprehensive care policies and systems. The project is active in several countries in the region, including Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Panama.

In countries like Peru, women dedicate 39 hours and 28 minutes per week to unpaid domestic work. Women between the ages of 30 and 49 are the group that spends the most time on these activities.

Moreover, the time spent on unpaid domestic and care work accounts for 52% of the total time allocated to work. This unequal distribution of unpaid work between women and men results in women being “time-poor,” limiting their opportunities for education, employment, political participation, and leisure. It also poses a barrier to their economic empowerment and the full enjoyment of their rights on equal terms with men.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, between 11 and 18 million people work in care-related jobs, with 93% of them being women, most of whom are in informal employment (77.5%). In Peru, 439,340 people are employed in domestic work, with 95.1% of them being women, and the majority of these workers are in informal conditions (82.3%). 

^{Asencia at the Community Kitchen of Villa Horizonte, Cerro Papa. Photo: UN Women Peru/María Pía Molero Mesía.}

From the community kitchen to empowerment

In the Cerro Papa community of Villa El Salvador, Lima, Peru, Asencia Tuanama leads the Villa Horizonte Community Kitchen, an organization that is part of the “Transforming Care Economies” project. For over twelve years, the Villa Horizonte community has trusted Asencia’s leadership.

“Through the project, we’ve come to understand the importance of sharing care responsibilities. We learned that not everything should fall on us, that we also have the right to rest, to study, to take care of ourselves,” says Asencia. “Many women have started organizing better, sharing responsibilities at home and in the community, and thinking about our well-being,” adds the community leader.

Through the project, members of the community kitchen have overcome personal and professional challenges, transforming their community through autonomy and empowerment in care work. 

^{Asencia in the community kitchen's garden, Cerro Papa. Photo: UN Women Peru/María Pía Molero Mesía.}

“Before, we didn’t know how to write a letter or submit a request. We had to ask someone else. Now, after the training, we know how to do it ourselves. We managed to formalize our community kitchen—it was a challenge, but we persevered and did it. With our registration, we were able to participate in bidding processes and sell snacks. With those earnings, we bought a freezer, improved the kitchen space, and are building a new area. All of this is part of how we care for our community,” says Tuanama.

“I care by feeding others, managing, thinking about the children, the elderly, those who need it most. But now I also think about myself. I’m about to finish high school, and I want to continue studying. I’ve realized I deserve time for myself. My husband also participated in the training, and that’s been important. Now we share more of the tasks and care work at home and in the community. That’s progress, too,” says Asencia. 

^{Asencia in the garden of the Community Kitchen, Cerro Papa. Photo: UN Women Peru/María Pía Molero Mesía.}

Asencia says this process has made her stronger: “I feel alive by caregiving and caring for myself. I know that when I’m no longer here, something will remain planted in this community I love so much,” she says. 

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.