Globally, women perform 76.2 per cent of the total amount of unpaid care work, spending three times more time on it than men. It is against this background that Farm Radio International, which works in seven African countries, including Nigeria, champions equitable sharing of unpaid care and domestic work within the household and the family, CHIZOBA OGBECHE reports.
Unpaid care refers to activities that meet the physical and emotional needs of people at different stages of their lives including cooking, cleaning, caring for children, fetching water, and sourcing energy like firewood, usually without remuneration.
These work/services often fall on women, and restricts women’s life opportunities such as education and employment, and affects social engagement, thereby affecting women’s health and confining them with the poverty levels.
Areas of coverage
Farm Radio, an international non-governmental organisation, uniquely focused on improving the lives of rural Africans through the world’s most accessible communications tools: radio and mobile phones, works with local women’s rights organisations to design.
They run a series of On Air Dialogues that invites women to share their views, thoughts and opinion on how unpaid care affects them.
Farm Radio International uses radio broadcasting to educate African farming families on best practices. Their focus extends beyond improving food production and farming yields.
They also broadcast shows to enhance health, nutrition, education, and gender equality.
They are collaborating with more than 500 radio partners across 38 African countries and these partnerships allow them to share knowledge and amplify the voices of small-scale farmers, their families, and their communities.
By leveraging on radio, Farm Radio reached a wide audience and empowers local communities.
Farm Radio works with governments, civil society organisations and private sector sponsors to ensure the sustainability of radio programmes that benefit millions of rural Africans including nine Nigerian states: Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Oyo, Ogun and Cross River.
Increasing representation in public dialogues
Farm Radio International in a publication to mark the 2023 International Day Care and Support noted that, “… thanks to an almost $1 million grant from Global Affairs Canada, Farm Radio International will be working towards a more just and equitable sharing of unpaid care and domestic work across sub-Saharan Africa during the next year.
“In partnership with UN Women and FEMNET, the African Women’s Development and Communications Network, the Knowledge Sharing about Unpaid Care in
sub-Saharan Africa project will increase the representation of unpaid care workers in public dialogues about gender-transformative approaches to unpaid care work; increase recognition of the value and inequity of unpaid care work; and increase the commitment by decision makers and duty bearers to respond to the rights and needs of unpaid care workers.
“Care work, both formal and informal, is an essential role in society, but it often goes unnoticed, is unappreciated and is highly gendered. In sub-Saharan Africa, and indeed, around the world, caring for children, older persons and persons with long-term illness or disabilities often falls to women, as does cooking, personal care, cleaning, collecting firewood or shopping.
“It restricts women’s life opportunities such as education and employment, and affects social engagement and leisure time, therefore affecting women’s health and poverty levels. Yet, in order for change to be made, collective action at all levels is required.
“It’s so important to recognise and amplify the voices of the women who are so often tasked with this unpaid care work,” said Farm Radio’s Nigeria Project Lead, Blessing Uwechia, in the publication.
“Their role in society should not go unnoticed and we hope to spark greater conversations about unpaid care both here in Nigeria and across the continent with this project.
“These programmes should reach more than six million people across the continent, sharing stories and starting dialogue about unpaid care.
“It’s an issue that requires common understanding, and while significant policy strides have been made in recent years, collective action and agreement is required to translate this into practical action and changes in the day-to-day life of women and girls.
“It’s a change that we hope to see start with this project is aimed at increasing gender equality and women’s empowerment through a commitment to more just and equitable sharing of unpaid care and domestic work within the household and the family in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Why radio?
Speaking during the National Policy dialogue on unpaid care work, conducted recent in Abuja, Uwechia, noted that people were often surprised to learn that radio is a powerful tool in international development.
She said radio is widespread, accessible, convenient, inexpensive, nimble, as well as interactive.
Radio has the ability to reach across borders and can become a valuable source of information where reliable news is scarce, she added.
Radio, she said, has the power to reach hundreds of millions of African farmers with life-changing information.
She explained that in most rural communities people depend on radio as their primary source of information. Hence Farm Radio International has used radio to help farmers help themselves for nearly 40 years.
Speaking further she said the organisation now combines radio with newer technologies like mobile phones to make more impact.
Policy on unpaid care
The national policy dialogue on unpaid care work organised by Farm Radio International was a comprehensive programme aimed at addressing the challenges and recognising the value of unpaid care work in our society. The session brought together various stakeholders, Ministry of Agriculture, Women Affairs, Justice, Human Rights Commission, High Commission of Canada, Non-profit Organisations and the media, to deliberate on the current landscape and to forge a path forward.
This was in recognition of the fact that in Nigeria, unpaid care work was often overlooked though it is crucial for gender equality.
Speaking during the dialogue, the Facilitator of the Programme, Dr Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack, disclosed that Farm Radio International was the first organisation to bring unpaid care work to light through indigenous radio programming.
She spoke about the passion Farm Radio International has for the community, noting that many communities have benefitted from the organisation’s programmes.
In his welcome remark, Senior Country Representative, Farm Radio International, Mr. Benjamin Fiafor, noted that Farm Radio International is an organisation that focuses on using radio dialogues especially at the community level to bring about change and help improve policy direction through stakeholder engagements as shown in the unpaid care project which is focused on the inequalities on care work appreciation and the care economy.
He further pointed out that Farm Radio International promotes the voice of the voiceless.
He said that women play a vital role in care work and most times go unnoticed, ranging from caring for children, older people, cooking, personal care and cleaning. He stated that Farm radio is putting in deliberate efforts to change the narratives. He disclosed that the project on unpaid care was being implemented in nine countries inclusive of Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Nigeria, Malawi and four others.
He stated that the gathering is an opportunity to work together and agree on a way forward, come up with policy direction to increase the value of unpaid care workers.
In his words “I believe that we have the power and all the opportunity to change and respond to the need of unpaid care workers.”
Giving a goodwill message, the Second Secretary and Senior Development Officer, representing the High Commission of Canada, Mel Camaganaca, commended arm Farm Radio for their efforts in recognising that unpaid care was an issue all over the world.
She noted that care work was essential to sustain economic growth and for gender equality; just as she pointed out that based on data collected from International Labour Organisation (ILO) that 16.4 billion hours a day are spent on unpaid care work, equivalent of 9 per cent of the global GDP and it is twice the size of the global agriculture sector, and the number of women and children suffering unpaid care was growing.
She noted that Canada was working with partners to address paid and unpaid care and were very excited to be supporting Nigeria in this course.
She maintained that addressing the issue of paid and unpaid care boosts gender equality for women and children especially makinf reference to SDG target 5.4: “The call for states to recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work and the promotion of more shared responsibility”
She also said that when Canada had programmes that addresses these issues with the motives to achieve the following: “Recognise the value of paid and unpaid care work; Reduce the hours spent on unpaid care work; To redistribute responsibilities towards care work more appropriately for women and children within and outside the family; To remind unpaid and paid care workers that they have a voice.”
She said these programme responds to the rights and the needs of unpaid and paid care workers.
…$72 million committed to project
Speaking further, she disclosed that at the Generation Equality Forum, Canada’s Prime Minister announced that Canada would commit $72 million USD in new funding for standalone programmes to address issues of paid and unpaid care in low- and middle-income countries.
She further explained that the programme was intended to address the root cause of gender inequality.
For her, it was exciting to be working with Nigeria, especially the Farm Radio on projects concerning paid and unpaid care in Nigeria.
She reiterated on a comment made by one of the women leaders who spoke during her visit with her team to Cross River: “Women talking to other women about their rights is important, we need that but only having that is not going to bring us to where we need to go.
“We need to bring everyone along and make everyone understand that, not having women’s meaningful participation in the country is like Nigeria choosing to stand on one leg as a fight against reality.”
She said the statement amplified the fact that advocacy for collaboration and partnerships in the projects that promote gender inclusiveness was important even in the area of unpaid and paid care work.
She also highlighted the fact that Nigeria needed all of its numbers in their diversity to positively contribute to help Nigeria be the strongest and most resilient country can be.
On her part, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Ifeoma Anyanwu, who is the Head Gender, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food security, also commended Farm Radio International for the initiative on unpaid care work.
She pointed out that care was not recognised or valued, adding that no one was looking at the work done and the time fully spent.
She stressed the need to amplify women’s voices as part of the interventions, stating: “It is important to bring the men who are HeForShe to join in the conversation to address the issue of unpaid care work.”
Similarly, the representative of the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, pointed out that care work was a vital aspect of a functioning society, one where the poor can be taken care of, the disabled, sick and elderly can be helped.
She also noted that in Nigeria, women devote more time to care work than men, hindering their economic empowerment. She also pointed that the 2024 CSW which held in March also brought the issue of unpaid care work to light and the different conversations around the value and renumeration of unpaid care workers.
She pointed out that much of this care is currently focused on households, particularly women headed households.
As demand for care services continues to rise, the minister emphasized the importance of recognising the value of care work and addressing the gender gap in economic empowerment.
She also highlighted the need for gender sensitive data collection in climate and economic policies especially for women on unpaid care work; just as she recommended dialogue among stakeholders to address the issue of unpaid care work.
She disclosed that the Ministry of Women Affairs has taken the following requirement programmes among several others in line with the national development agenda: “ Development of the women advancement blueprint on changing the narrative to accelerate ministries realisation of this vision; Community engagement in farming to boost women income, food security, rural peace; The establishment of the five national gender policy and women economic empowerment policy whose main goals are to bridge gender gaps, explore and fully harness women’s human capital assets as drivers of national growth and development.”
The Representative of United Nations Women, Patience Ogechukwu shared the outcome of the research work done by UN Women on unpaid care work.
Blueprint Weekend reports that the data revealed that in Nigeria women dedicate an average of 145 minutes daily to child care compared to men.
The number not only highlights the burden on women but also highlights the need to address the issue of unpaid care work.
She stated that UN Women has also highlighted issues women face, and took deliberate steps to reduce the time women spend on unpaid care by provided labour saving devices like rice milling machines in Ebonyi state, sheer butter processing machines in Niger state.
She also stated that the UN Women signed an agreement with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to collate data in various areas that expose women to unpaid care work including household work.
She further stated that UN women are working collectively with partners to make the SDGs inclusive for women, girls and persons with disabilities. UN Women, through the spotlight initiative are working hard to put an end to unpaid care work as it exposes women to Domestic violence most of the time.
She concluded by encouraging participants to join hands through collaborations and partnerships to advocate and sensitise at the community level, the value of unpaid care work.
