Making Caring Count June Newsletter Issue 3#

Trends and innovations

The Parent PlayBox: An ECD solution for parents and caregivers. Less than 19% of children have access to early education in low-resourced developing countries. Kids Collab and Learn to Play have teamed up to help fill the gap in access to early years education in Africa. The Parent PlayBox initiative aims to empower parents and families in low-resourced communities with the knowledge and tools to support their children in areas of basic education, physical development and well-being within the home environment. The Parent PlayBox is built around a thoughtfully curated kit filled with engaging weekly activities and play prompts informed by a holistic Early Years Framework. These activities help encourage positive parent-child engagement, fostering a supportive and nurturing environment that promotes educational growth. A key component of this initiative is the training provided by Learn to Play and Kids Collab to ensure that parents and caregivers are equipped and prepared to lead the project with their children at home.? bit.ly/3wLxT1a

This Montana-based healthcare tech company is dedicated to making the lives of caregivers better. Avanlee Care is a health and social care company redefining elderly care management for families around the world, and a connector for families to support the health and well-being of loved ones. It’s first app product Avanlee, is an all-in-one solution that helps adult children stay connected with their aging parents and their caregiving teams. Caregivers can share updates, track changes in a care recipient’s health, organize grocery delivery with families, remind everyone of appointments and prescriptions—all on a secure communication platform between the family and care recipient. Avanlee Care grew out of founder/CEO Avanlee Christine’s real-life experience seeking a practical solution to the struggles she witnessed as her family managed her grandparents’ care. The Avanlee app is designed for families struggling to care for a family member in need while also juggling their own family, work, and time. This all-in-one app offers a comprehensive set of tools to help provide better community and care for families. bit.ly/3yW4pOt

Kasha: Africa’s leading digital platform for last mile access to health products. Kasha, an innovative e-commerce platform operating in East Africa, is revolutionizing women’s access to health, hygiene, and self-care products. With a wide range of menstrual care products, contraceptives, pharmaceuticals, and beauty products available on its platform, Kasha aims to empower women by providing them with essential products conveniently. Moreover, Kasha goes beyond just being a marketplace; it strives to be a reliable source of information around women’s products. By collaborating closely with trusted health partners, Kasha ensures that women receive accurate and valuable guidance when it comes to their health and well-being. bit.ly/3yXMoiN

News that made headlines

Melinda French Gates sets her own agenda to empower women globally. Back in May, Melinda French Gates announced she is stepping down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that she and former husband Bill Gates founded almost 25 years ago. In a guest essay published in the New York Times on May 28th, titled “The Enemies of Progress Play Offense. I want to Help Even the Match”, she offered a glimpse into the next chapter of her philanthropy, focusing on advancing women’s power in the U.S. and around the world. French Gates took a fresh approach to supporting women’s causes, allocating a total of $240 million to create $20 million in grant-making funds for each of 12 chosen global leaders for independent distribution. That group — which includes the former prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden, Sabrina Habib, co-founder and CEO of Kidogo working to improve access to quality, affordable early childhood care in East Africa’s low-income communities, and athlete and maternal-health advocate Allyson Felix — represents a wide range of experience and expertise. In her New York Times essay, French Gates notes that when women are fully engaged, it leads to further economic growth. She further points out that overall improvement in women’s health could add as much as $1 trillion to the global economy by 2040. French Gates plans to execute her vision through Pivotal Ventures, which she founded in 2015 to fund and advance social progress through venture capital investments, philanthropy, advocacy and partnerships. bit.ly/4bXDzEC

News from around the world

Maybe it’s time to label this phenomenon as “momwashing”: the claims and depictions of motherhood that make us believe that all moms are fully valued in society when, in truth, they’re simply not. Society often praises moms, but our admiration seems to diminish when they juggle paid employment with raising children. This is evident not only in the limited and chaotic portrayal of working moms in the media but also in the financial burdens we place on them. As men enter fatherhood, they are rewarded with a Daddy Bonus, whereas women entering motherhood “pay” the Mommy Tax. The reasons behind the sudden gender pay gap upon starting a family can be speculated upon — perhaps he is perceived as more responsible and reliable, while she is seen as less committed because she has a baby at home. This ends up costing her an average of $237,000 in lifetime earnings lost due to caregiving. Not only is she dealing with the impact of lost wages, but also a halt in retirement plan contributions and substantial pay cuts she may face upon returning to work. All of these factors have a lasting impact on her career. We must fight the notion that moms are the default social safety net in our societies and ensure that they have the same economic opportunities as everyone else, in addition to other freedoms. bit.ly/4ed6Qwp

A unique pay equity fund in Washington D.C. may fall prey to budget cuts, leaving 4,000 childcare workers in the lurch. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting America’s already fragile childcare system, policymakers in Washington had a plan to address key issues such as access, recruitment, retention and pay with the childcare sector. This led to the city-funded $80 million Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, a first-in-the nation program aimed at achieving pay parity between early childhood educators and their K-12 counterparts. As part of the pay equity program, teachers must earn more advanced certificates and degrees in order to receive a salary boost. The district then covers the costs of their tuition and books through a childcare scholarship. The program also funds childcare facilities that offer free or low-cost health insurance to educators and other staff. Based on early data, the pay equity program has helped D.C hire, recruit and retain childcare workers. According to research firm Mathematica’s findings, the program’s initial payments increased childcare employment levels in Washington by 100 additional educators, and nearly 2 in 3 educators planned to continue working in the sector longer. Critics claim that funding the program is not feasible, but advocates argue that it is actually cutting or eliminating the program that is not sustainable. The program has been a game-changing investment, sparing families any additional costs while ensuring teachers are fairly compensated.? bit.ly/3xbV1WF

Bogotá’s Care Blocks are breaking barriers for the city’s 1.2M women in unpaid care roles, offering opportunities and the chance to catch their breath. In Bogotá, over a million women commit themselves solely to unpaid care work, spending on average around seven to eight hours a day caring for someone else. The majority of these women (90%) are low-income earners, with 70% having received only primary school education. Many girls end up leaving school due to caregiving expectations. It’s a fact that this overload of caregiving leads to both mental and physical health problems—two out of ten women caregivers have chronic mental and physical health issues due to the strain of their unpaid care work and lack of free time for themselves. The Care Blocks aim to tackle the problem of time poverty for caregivers—whether they are mothers, grandmothers, aunts, or cousins. They provide these women with training, respite and income generating services, as these are the three main things that they have sacrificed due to the care overload. Essentially, the Care Blocks exist to ensure that women can attend these activities by taking care of those they usually care for, that is, children under 13 years, elderly people, and those with disabilities. Raising the educational level of women and giving them more free time can improve their mental and physical health. This directly impacts children, as they grow up in homes where caregivers have more education and more free time are less likely to be victims of violence. By creating safer spaces, there is a greater chance that they will break the cycles of violence and poverty. bit.ly/3Vgsw26

What we’re reading

Childcare benefits more than pay for themselves. A landmark new report reveals that US employers investing in childcare benefits experience positive returns of investment ranging from 90% to 425%. The childcare crisis in America impacts everyone, with businesses being hit particularly hard. When working parents lack adequate childcare, their productivity suffers, causing companies to miss out on highly valuable talent. Moms First has long emphasized the significance of childcare as a vital economic necessity. In 2023, Moms First worked with Boston Consulting Group to document the return on investment when companies invest in childcare benefits for their employees. Their report titled The Employee Benefit That Pays for Itself? underscores the undeniable link between robust childcare benefits and a flourishing workforce, highlighting how companies can greatly benefit from investing in the well-being of working parents. bit.ly/4aYNEj1

What we’re listening to

Podcast: Profit MEETS Impact. Episode 41: Solving an Impossible Choice for African Mothers. Choosing between breastfeeding and working postpartum is a difficult decision many mothers face worldwide due to the lack of affordable pumps and workplace privacy. In this episode, host Morgan Michael Bailey chats with Sahar Jamal, CEO and founder of Maziwa about how her company is addressing this challenge by providing affordable, discreet and portable breast pumps. This conversation explores: the economic and health impacts of breastfeeding challenges in East Africa; Sahar’s journey into social entrepreneurship; Maziwa’s innovative hybrid business model, and the process of bringing a technological innovation to market. Listen to the episode here

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