2025 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

19th Edition

Phase 4 of 8

Results open vote 28/03/2025 - 31/03/2025

Process phases

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Guayas Province: Cuidando Vidas - Guayas Care System

Official proposal

06/02/2025 18:18

Cuidando Vidas is the first Care System in Ecuador and a pioneer at the provincial level in Latin America. It is driven by one cause: to recognize, reduce, and redistribute the unpaid care work, predominantly done by women, and its contribution to society, the economy, sustaining life, as well as highlighting the impacts of the sexual division of labor on women's opportunities.

Without care work, no society could move forward. It contributes 19.1% of Ecuador's GDP, driving national development; for every 100 hours of unpaid care work, women invest 77 hours, while men invest 23 hours. It also saves 32 dollars for every 100 dollars of household consumption expenses.

Despite this contribution, care work remains undervalued and is mostly done by women, who face time poverty due to the daily overload of these tasks. Caregivers dedicate a large amount of their time to caring for others but lack time to care for themselves, to educate themselves, or to generate income, which leads to greater inequality and more exposure to violence. 65.2% of women in Guayas are time-poor. The way time is used affects people’s well-being, and its scarcity is a form of deprivation that diminishes their opportunities.

Cuidando Vidas is defined as a set of services that address care needs while freeing up caregivers' time so they can achieve personal development. We provide training, well-being, and income-generating services aimed at caregivers, and professional care services for those they care for, with the goal that the freed time is invested in capacity building and increased well-being.

Our services reach the territory through two strategies: the Care Convoy and the Care Neighborhoods. The Convoy is a mobile model that allows us to reach rural or hard-to-access urban areas that lack infrastructure. The Care Neighborhoods address target populations through infrastructure built within the province.

With Cuidando Vidas, the Guayas Prefecture promotes a team-oriented work ethic, driving the collective efforts at all levels to ensure the province honors the legacy of caring for those who have historically cared for us.