<
https://www.vox.com/policy/469634/care-blocks-child-care-women-caregiving-elder-care-families?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6Im5oSk94QWJaNjUiLCJwIjoiL3BvbGljeS80Njk2MzQvY2FyZS1ibG9ja3MtY2hpbGQtY2FyZS13b21lbi1jYXJlZ2l2aW5nLWVsZGVyLWNhcmUtZmFtaWxpZXMiLCJleHAiOjE3NjYxNDYyMDIsImlhdCI6MTc2NDkzNjYwMn0.T83krAtr_HsQzOddC1y3gx_fgiTA8s_AyJfgTjKVADc&utm_medium=gift-link>
"In Bogotá’s historic downtown, a modest government building sits in the shadow
of a gilded statue of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century liberator who freed much
of South America from Spanish rule. Inside, on the fourth floor, a
manzana del
cuidado, or care block, pulses with a different kind of revolution.
On a bright October morning, a circle of small children sat around a turquoise
table, wide-eyed as their teacher read a Halloween story. In another room, a
group of mothers and grandmothers bent over glass jars and wicks, learning to
turn used containers into candles during a recycling workshop led by an
official from the city’s environmental division. In the main hall, a half-dozen
women in sneakers and leggings followed an instructor’s aerobics routine,
laughing as they stretched and lunged.
This space is one of 25 neighborhood hubs that have opened across Colombia’s
capital since 2020, all part of an ambitious citywide effort to tackle “time
poverty” — the lack of time for anything beyond the crushing, invisible burden
of unpaid care work that falls overwhelmingly on women.
In Bogotá, a city of 8 million people, nearly 4 million women do some form of
unpaid care work, and about 1.2 million dedicate most of their time to it,
meaning 10 hours a day or more. Many commute for hours to reach paid care jobs,
only to return home and do more unpaid care.
At a care block, a woman can access a variety of services while the person she
cares for is looked after by teachers and staff nearby. She can hand off her
laundry to an attendant, finish her schooling, meet with a lawyer, consult a
psychologist, or learn job skills. The scope of activities is not limited to
errands, either: she can also read a novel, catch up with friends, or just get
some rest. And the system extends beyond the physical blocks — mobile buses
bring comprehensive services to rural areas, and an at-home program targets
caregivers who support those with severe disabilities and therefore cannot
leave their houses.
Bogotá is trying to do something tricky: elevate both care work and caregivers,
while also saying, “You shouldn’t have to be doing this so much — you deserve a
full life beyond caring for kids, for aging relatives, for your partner.”
Understanding how Bogotá built its care system — and the challenges it faces —
offers a template for other cities. And indeed, what started as a local
experiment is now gaining traction internationally. Freetown, the capital of
Sierra Leone, expects to open its first care block by this year’s end.
Guadalajara in Mexico approved funding for several “care communities” earlier
this summer, and care blocks are already operating in Mexico City and Santiago,
Chile. Activists and public health officials in England are trying to adapt the
model, and a funder is even seeking to pilot care blocks in an American city in
2026."
Via Rachel Cohen Booth and sky croeser.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
