Back in 2022, UN Women brought governments, unions and care workers together in Nairobi for the region’s first Care Economy Sharefair. What started as a conference has grown into a network that’s forging solutions that make a difference in daily lives: on farms, in markets, workplaces, homes and neighbourhoods.

From easier access to water and childcare, to new training and protections for care workers, change is reaching daily life through new laws, budgets, and by helping governments to treat care for what it is: an essential service, not an afterthought or invisible labour.

Hours once lost walking for water or cooking over smoky fires are reclaimed for learning, earning, or simply resting. Women are saving time and using those hours to grow businesses, join cooperatives, and step into new roles in the care economy.

At home and in village squares, conversations are slowly reshaping expectations, with more men stepping in to share everyday responsibilities, easing family tensions, and setting new examples for the next generation. Below are three snapshots of how this transformation looks in real life.

In Gikomero, widow Marie Louise used to walk for hours to collect water, leaving her drained and with little energy to tend to her vegetable business and grandchildren. A rainwater harvesting tank, installed by UN Women, was a gamechanger.

“I can grow more, sell more, and take better care of my grandchildren,” she says.

Rwanda is pairing practical fixes with bold legal change. In July 2024, the country revised its Law Governing Persons and Family to recognize unpaid care work in marital property, valuing it at 10–39 per cent of jointly acquired assets. It was a landmark step and UN Women’s survey was key in proving that women spend 3.7 hours a day on unpaid care, more than triple the time of men.

By writing care into law, Rwanda sent a clear signal that the invisible work that sustains families and communities is real labour. And it counts.  

In communities, time-saving infrastructure is spreading: 1,100+ energy-efficient cookstoves and 92 rainwater tanks are easing daily routines. A 2025 study found women used the saved hours to farm, run small businesses, and attend training; households also saw health gains from cleaner cooking.

Rwanda is also reimagining who does the caring. In Nyaruguru, Ngoma and Kirehe, new Early Childhood Development centres provide a safe place to learn and thrive, while trained caregivers focus on nutrition and child-centred learning. The result? Mothers gain precious hours for work and rest, and local women step into paid roles as professional caregivers.

Mindsets are shifting too. A UN Women awareness campaign streamed on radio and TV is encouraging men and boys to step up at home. In the latest survey, 98 per cent of households reported more male participation in caregiving. And to lock in this progress, Rwanda is weaving care into public finance using UN Women’s Engendering Fiscal Space Tool – so water tanks, clean stoves and childcare centres aren’t just pilot projects, but the new normal. This work is supported by the Government of Germany, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

In Ikungi (Singida region), Khadija Abdallah once spent hours collecting firewood and cooking over smoky stoves. The chores left her little time for her shop and children. But today, with an improved cookstove introduced through a UN Women initiative supported by the Government of Canada, everything has shifted. 

In 2021, the Government of Tanzania pledged to reduce women’s unpaid care work, expand social services, and create decent care jobs. Those promises are now backed by policies, such as the National Gender and Women Development Policy (2023), which prioritises the shared responsibility for care, and The National Clean Cooking Strategy, which aims for 80 per cent of households to use clean solutions by 2034.

Change is tangible. Across Singida, Dodoma and Zanzibar, more than 400 clean cooking and solar technologies have been distributed, cutting cooking time by up to three hours a day, and slashing weekly firewood collection. In Ikungi alone, 248 households now use better stoves and women trained to install them are leading new business groups under a UN Women project supported by the Government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development.

Childcare is now closer to where women work. UN Women backed the launch of two childcare centres in market areas in Ikungi and Puma – freeing traders to earn while children learn safely. More than 3,000 Early Childhood Development centres have also opened on the mainland and 54 in Zanzibar, along with new nursing rooms in offices and markets – funded through the Government of Tanzania’s contribution to UN Women’s Generation Equality initiative.

Attitudes are also shifting at home. Community conversations and campaigns are leading more men to share housework. As a result, in Ikungi and Puma women report more balanced routines and less time stress. 

And just as important, care solutions are reaching those who are too often overlooked. For women with disabilities, new services – supported by the Government of Canada – mean greater independence, dignity, and the chance to take part fully in community life. 

In Cape Town, domestic worker Noluthando has cared for children, older people, and homes for over 15 years, often without a contract, paid leave, health coverage, or any safety nets.

“We are the hands that keep families together, but for too long, we have been invisible”, she says.

South Africa is home to 1.2 million domestic workers, most from low-income, migrant and historically marginalised communities. For decades, their work sustained households and the national economy while remaining in the shadows, unprotected and underpaid.

Change is now taking shape. In 2022, South Africa introduced the Domestic Workers Act, setting minimum wages and workplace protections. Pressure from unions also won domestic workers the right to join the Unemployment Insurance Fund – providing short-term financial aid to workers when they become unemployed.

Working with unions, UN Women rolled out campaigns, training, and workshops in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. These efforts help workers know their rights, register for benefits, and push for stronger enforcement of labour laws. Their priorities are clear: mandatory registration for all domestic workers (including migrants), wage standardisation, better labour inspections, and simple reporting tools.

As G20 Chair in 2025, South Africa is making the message go global: economies recover faster when care is valued, and care workers are protected.

• Time poverty falls: fuel-efficient cooking, nearby clean water sources, and childcare-free hours each day to earn a living, study or rest.
• Income rises: women start businesses, join co-ops and enter paid work.
• More men step up: household chores and care become a shared responsibility, reshaping family life and setting new examples for the next generation.  
• Care workers win rights: through new laws and advocacy, millions are gaining fair pay, benefits and safer conditions – recognition long overdue.

The momentum is real. Across East and Southern Africa, care is moving from “women’s work” to shared responsibility that powers families, communities and economies. And as more women like Marie Louise, Khadija and Noluthando reclaim their time, the region edges closer to a future where care is valued and shared, and where everyone thrives.