The Evidence to Policy for Kenya Care Economy Project

ADSE in partnership with UN Women is implementing Evidence to Policy for Kenya Care Economy Project in Kauwi, Athi, and Mutomo wards in Kitui County Kitui targeting 2700 community members. The project aims at improving access to inclusive and gender-responsive policy on care and transformative care services among women and girls.

The care economy entails a diversified range of productive work with both paid and unpaid work activities for care that is necessary for the physical, psychological, and social well-being of primary care dependent groups such as children, the elderly, persons with disability, and persons who are ill. The responsibility of unpaid care work falls disproportionately on women. According to the Kenya Time Use Survey report (KNBS, 2021), the proportion of time spent by women on unpaid care and domestic work is about five times higher (18.7%) compared to men (3.6%).

The project aims at reducing gender imbalances, promoting women’s economic empowerment, and fostering a more equitable and inclusive environment for all through:

1. Lobbying for localization and implementation of the policy recommendations in Kitui County to reduce, recognize, and redistribute the workload of unpaid care work among women and girls

• This will be achieved through sensitizing the community to participate in county public participation forums, and resource mobilization from state and non-state actors, which will lead to the establishment of care infrastructure aimed at reducing the care burden among women and girls
• ADSE will lobby through her established networks for resource allocation towards care infrastructure

2. Removing structural and systemic barriers in the community through awareness campaigns, radio shows, and scaling up HeForShe community advocates to increase awareness of unpaid care work.

• Participation in international Days and public forums to disseminate care messages aimed at changing the community attitude towards the disproportionate allocation of domestic duties to women and girls
• Empowering women to take part in diverse income-generating activities for self-reliance.