Fulfilling her commitment made since 2019 when she signed the Women's Pact, Mayor Claudia Lopez not only successfully implemented the Bogotá Care System throughout her administration but also delivered Care Block No. 21 today, this time in Barrios Unidos district.
The mayor also presented a performance report on the Bogotá's Care System, which, during her administration, managed to assist over 546,500 women and their families. It's worth remembering that Bogotá is the first city in Latin America to implement a Care System, a program driven by women's social movements and created by the city that effectively responded to the historical demands of women in the city with concrete actions.
"It's never too late to learn. That's why I'm pleased to see women of 20, 40, 50, 70 years old who have completed their high school education. They've also learned to plant, to create their gardens," Mayor López affirmed.
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Here, a post in which Mayor Claudia López provides more details about the delivery of Care Block in Barrios Unidos, the 21st one delivered by this administration to Bogota:
#LeCumplimosABogotá y a las mujeres! Inauguramos una nueva Manzana del Cuidado en la localidad de Barrios Unidos, la #21 que le entregamos a Bogotá!
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) December 19, 2023
Aquí las y los cuidadores tienen, en un solo lugar, más de 15 servicios gratuitos para estudiar, emprender un negocio, vincularse… pic.twitter.com/jutNjaRiO5
The city's mayor also referred to the investment and effort of the administration to establish a system that covered all the needs of caregivers. "To this Care System infrastructure, we added services; but in other areas, like Sumapaz, we brought Care Buses, with the help of international cooperation; women who were caring for people with disabilities also came, so it was difficult to take them out of the house, that's why we also designed the Home Care pilot, thanks in part to Bloomberg Philanthropies," Claudia López added.
The Care Block in Barrios Unidos will have its anchor entity, temporarily, at the María Elena Walsh Pedagogical Workshop, and in the first semester of 2024, it will move to the María Goretti Community Development Center (CDC). This is the first Care Block built from scratch. The construction is already 90% complete, and its design and construction are intended to provide all the services that caregivers and their families need.
This CDC will anchor the Care Block in Barrios Unidos, and caregivers will have access to classrooms adapted to their needs, technological tools, and relaxation and wellness spaces. With an investment of more than 26 billion pesos, this is a facility of nearly 7,500 square meters that will open its doors to care for those who care.
Furthermore, it has the potential to serve 35,165 people living in the pedestrian coverage area and, specifically, more than 10,612 people who will benefit from the various services of the Care Block: 2,869 female caregivers, 1,681 children aged 0 to 5, 4,214 elderly individuals, and 1,848 people with disabilities.
In Bogotá, Care has always been a priority, and ensuring women's rights are at the center of public management. That's why results are delivered today. The legacy of the Mayor's government is a city with opportunities and free services for caregivers.
In addition to the Care Blocks, there are two Care Buses that reach the most remote rural and urban areas, such as Sumapaz, and have already provided more than 26,850 services, transforming the lives of thousands of rural and peasant caregivers.
However, the System is designed for those who cannot go to the Care Blocks or Buses to also be part of it, and the Home Care program was created to reach the homes of those who need it most. Over these four years, more than 8,000 families have been reached at home.
The alliances with the Compensation Funds have made Bogotá a city that, from both the public and private sectors, cares for those who care for us. CAFAM, Compensar, and Comfacundi opened their doors to the Care System to provide free services in their facilities to relieve women of the caregiving burden and to care for those who need it.
For the first time, all infrastructure was made available to serve women, while we care for those they care for. Women will no longer have to wait for hours sitting in the stands of pools, courts, or schools because these spaces are now also for them.
The commitment was to give women opportunities and free them from the poverty of time so they could fulfill their dreams. It was fulfilled for them, and it was fulfilled for Bogotá. In this government, more than 35,800 caregiver individuals fulfilled their dream of studying; over 800 graduated from high school, more than 1,000 certified their caregiver skills, and more than 33,900 studied at National Learning System - SENA to acquire digital skills, learn English, and more.
The first step for women to have a life free from violence is for them to regain their economic autonomy. That's why, with the Care System, a complete income generation offer was established, benefiting more than 36,100 caregivers through employment, entrepreneurship, and formalization routes.
With the Care Blocks, Bogotá had community laundries for the first time so women wouldn't spend entire days washing clothes. With this service, over 14,700 hours of caregiving work were released, equivalent to 616 days. Likewise, with the "Art of Caring" service, which took care of girls and boys while their caregivers studied, rested, or exercised, around 16,000 hours of caregiving work were freed, equivalent to 670 days.
Bogotá will no longer be an indifferent city to gender stereotypes. In this Administration, the Pedagogical and Cultural Change Strategy - Learning to Care was launched to teach men and all of society that caregiving is not solely women's responsibility but the responsibility of everyone. More than 7,900 men participated in classes and workshops to learn how to care.
Today, the city is left with 21 Care Blocks, and five Care Blocks are ready to open their doors in 2024. The legacy is a city where the Care System is institutionalized and is the guarantor program of caregivers' and their families' rights.
Since the creation of the Care System, it has received prominent international recognition that positions Bogotá as a reference city and an example of caregiving, gender equality, and equal public policies:
- 2021: Wellbeing City - New Cities
- 2022: Global Mayors Challenge - Bloomberg Philanthropies
- 2022: Informing Women, Transforming Lives - Carter Center
- 2022: Public Sector Innovations OECD – OPSI
- 2023: Large-Scale Impact Award - Creative Bureaucracy Festival
- 2023: Urban Innovation Award - Guangzhou Award
We delivered for Bogotá!
Here, the live broadcast of the inauguration of Bogotá's 21st Care Block:
