The meeting, held in Harare, gathered a wide range of participants, including government officials, cooperative organizations, business development support providers, and representatives from the care economy and other development partners including UN Women. Virtual attendees from Thailand, India, Lebanon, South Africa, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories also joined the discussion, highlighting collaborative efforts to support Zimbabwe's care economy.
With approximately 90 participants participating in-person and online, the meeting highlighted findings from a recently conducted national assessment and underscored the critical role that cooperatives and other social and solidarity economy entities can play in addressing gaps in care services, particularly for vulnerable groups. The workshop represented a key step in translating the global resolution on decent care work into concrete actions at the national level.
Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Entreprises, the Acting Deputy Director, Ms Takesure Murwisi indicated that the study was a significant milestone in advancing inclusivity and promoting equity within the care economy, particularly prioritizing the needs of women, children, persons with disability, and vulnerable populations.
National Programme Officer, HIV/AIDS & Gender, Ms Audrey Charamba, spoke on behalf of Ms. Philile Masuku, Director of ILO Harare, thanked participants for prioritizing the hybrid workshop and engaging with the recommendations to craft a way forward.
"I urge all of us to continue reflecting on the role of the care economy in our different communities and seek the advancement of social justice through relevant responses, including participation in policy development processes and implementation to enable us to contribute to the recognition of the care economy as pivotal to socioeconomic growth in Zimbabwe", she said.
Delivering her remarks online, Ms Laura Addati, Maternity Protection and Work Family Specialist from ILO Headquarters in Geneva articulated the ILO's global work on care, the role of cooperatives and social and solidarity economy entities in improving care services, and the importance of promoting gender equality. She explained that this was being done through improved recognition and support for care workers, backed by key ILO data. Addati reiterated the ILO's commitment to supporting Zimbabwe through partnerships, technical support, and capacity building to ensure the provision of care services through expanded interventions, advancing the notion of decent work, empowering workers, and recipients.
"Zimbabwe stands at a unique crossroads. This assessment presents an opportunity to harness the power of cooperatives and SSE entities to address care needs in a way that is sustainable, inclusive, and equitable. By leveraging the findings of this assessment, Zimbabwe can position itself among the leaders in the care economy in Africa, creating a model for other countries to follow," she said.
Ms. Simel Esim, Head of the ILO's Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit, reinforced these ideas by highlighting ongoing assessments in other countries, such as Colombia, Palestine and Lebanon. She emphasized the growing recognition of cooperatives and social and solidarity economy (SSE) entities in bridging the care gap, emerging due to insufficient public services and the unaffordability of private care options. Esim highlighted the extent to which families, workers, and local governments were pooling resources and developing innovative solutions to meet care needs, particularly for domestic and informal workers.
"We are seeing cooperatives and community-based associations of care set up by families, workers, trade unions, cooperatives, and local governments because they recognize the deficit-not only in childcare, but also in care for ageing people and those living with disabilities. By pooling resources, knowledge, and efforts, these workers, users, and beneficiaries are filling the gaps left by public and private services, while integrating with local governments and social protection systems to provide more inclusive and sustainable care solutions," she said.
Two research consultants, Ms. Nicola Nicolle and Mr. Elbart Vingwe presented findings from the national assessment, which was conducted between October 2023 and March 2024. They explained that in conducting the research, they had engaged various stakeholders including the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (MWACSMED), Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare (MPSLSW), Ministry of Local Government, Public Works, and National Housing (MLGPWNH), Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (MOHCW), Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), National Social Security Authority (NSSA), Domestic Workers Association of Zimbabwe (DWAZ), International Labour Organization (ILO), Katswe Sistahood, Oxfam, StreetNet International, Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET), Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA), Zimbabwe Domestic and Allied Workers Union (ZDAWU), and Zimbabwe National Cooperative Federation (ZNCF).
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Presentation of the assessment at the workshop comes at a pivotal moment for the ILO's work on the Social and Solidarity Economy and on the heels of the June 2024 112th ILC General Discussion Committee on Decent Work and the Care Economy. According to the assessment, while the legislative framework is generally supportive of cooperatives, gaps in implementation and awareness persist. Care services, particularly in urban centers (as this assessment focused on Harare), suffer from a lack of formal providers, leading to a scarcity of affordable, quality care. Societal perceptions further reinforce gender disparities, with care work predominantly viewed as women's responsibility. Despite these challenges, the formalization of care through cooperatives and other SSE entities presents opportunities to improve care quality and boost economic outcomes for providers. Although cooperatives are growing in Zimbabwe, they have yet to significantly expand into care services, facing hurdles such as financial sustainability and the need for capacity building.
Breakout sessions during the workshop sought to reflect on highlights of the findings and develop recommendations for the care project's next steps. Ms. Lorraine Ndlovu, President of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA), President of StreetNet International and a Board member of Women in Informal Economy Globalizing Organizing (WIEGO) offered a motivating intervention, urging the group to focus on innovative solutions and begin small, building on available resources and partnerships.
"We don't need to go big. Let's start small and build from what we have, because if we are passionate about something, we will find a way. Together, we will grow. We are the builders, the pilots of this project, so let's begin with what's in front of us and make it happen for our children and our members," she said.
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During the discussions, participants highlighted the need for quick wins in terms of action, sustainability strategies, financing and other essential elements that required attention. Key themes included the importance of enhancing capacities, specialized training for early childhood development (ECD) workers and conducting baseline surveys of cooperatives to assess their capacities. Collaborative efforts between cooperatives, vendors, and local government were seen as critical to ensure the successful expansion of care services.
The workshop will be followed up with the development of an action plan, based on the working groups' findings. It will aim at addressing legislative barriers and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, with ongoing support from the ILO and its partners to ensure the growth of care cooperatives and the empowerment of women in the care economy.
