Freetown Caring City Project
Photo credit: UNMEER/Martine Perret
Unpaid caregiving in Sierra Leone significantly hampers gender equity, particularly in Freetown, where women and girls bear a disproportionate burden within households. Due to the time-intensive nature of caregiving responsibilities, women work 1.6 times more than men, encompassing both paid and unpaid work. This time poverty restricts their opportunities for education, well-being, and economic advancement, while also leaving them vulnerable to sexual violence.
The cycle of disadvantage perpetuated by unpaid care work prevents women from completing formal education or entering the labour market, leaving them physically drained and financially precarious. Although Freetown offers various support services for caregivers and dependents, such as daycare centres and adult literacy courses, these resources remain inaccessible and underutilized due to distance barriers. Rapid urbanization generates the need for new services, which often lag behind the city’s growth, further compounding the challenges faced by caregivers.
The Freetown Caring Cities Project aims to transfer the innovative Care Blocks model from Bogotá, Colombia, to Freetown, Sierra Leone, focusing on improving caregivers’ well-being and time management. Care Blocks reorganise urban neighbourhoods to place essential services within a 20-minute walking radius, reducing transit time for caregivers. This IDRC-funded 3-year initiative aligns with the city’s “Transform Freetown” strategy, targeting challenges faced by women, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and informal settlement residents. Led by the Freetown City Council, in partnership with Women's Leadership for the Advancement of Democracy (WoLead), Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) and The City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE), the program will establish a Care Block in Susan’s Bay, offering services such as child care, professional training, health services and community engagement activities. It aims to empower women and girls, redistribute caregiving responsibilities and promote gender equality.
Kore Global has been engaged as the Project’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Partner, supporting the team to
conduct a comprehensive review of existing knowledge and perceptions regarding gendered care work and caregivers’ needs in Susan’s Bay;
adapt and implement the proven Care Blocks innovation from Bogotá, Colombia, to Freetown, Sierra Leone; and
localise the Care Blocks model to address the specific needs and challenges relevant to a sub-Saharan African context.
We will work in partnership with implementing partners and the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre to
evaluate the effectiveness of Care Blocks in reducing the burden of unpaid care work, mitigating gender-based violence and reshaping societal perceptions of care; and
use evidence-based research results to inform public policies.
