United Nations in Colombia implements transformative actions in the lives of women with disabilities and caregivers
UN Women implemented a strategy to strengthen the leadership of women with disabilities and expand care and support services in Villavicencio. Photo: UN Women/Lorena Morales.
In Colombia, nearly three million people live with disabilities, and more than half of them are women, according to the National Quality of Life Survey conducted by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). Many require support from family members to carry out daily activities. At the same time, millions of people spend several hours each day on care work, such as doing laundry and supporting children and adolescents with their schoolwork. These responsibilities increase considerably when caring for people with disabilities and are shouldered primarily by women.
In response to this reality, UN Women developed a strategy under the project “Unpaid care, disability and a gender-transformative approach”, implemented jointly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with support from the Global Disability Fund. The strategy combined two areas of action: a national training programme for women leaders with disabilities and a pilot project providing care and support services in the El Rubí neighbourhood of Villavicencio.
More than 40 women with disabilities strengthened their leadership and advocacy skills to influence local care and support systems through a training-of-trainers programme. Photo: UN Women/Camila Morales.
Training trainers: Strengthening the leadership of women with disabilities
Since 2023, Colombia has had a National Network of Women with Disabilities, which connects women leaders with disabilities from different regions of the country. To strengthen their leadership and participation in the development of territorial public policies and comprehensive care and support systems, the project implemented a training-of-trainers programme primarily targeting members of the Network. The programme strengthened the capacities of more than 40 women with disabilities to advocate for and influence local care and support systems.
“I am taking several things away from this process. One is that we need to build together and work as a team, and that we need to leave behind everything that has hurt us and let it go. I am also taking with me the experiences and good practices shared by all the participants so that I can replicate them in my territory,” said Mauren Patricia Aragón, a woman with a disability who participated in the training programme.
More than 70 people with disabilities and caregivers strengthened their knowledge of rights, care and support through a community-based learning programme in Villavicencio. Photo: UN Women/Lorena Velasco.
A pilot project to identify care and support needs in the El Rubí neighbourhood
The El Rubí neighbourhood in Villavicencio is home to many victims of the armed conflict, including people who acquired disabilities as a result of violence. A pilot project was implemented in the community, beginning with an assessment of the support needs of people with disabilities, the amount of time spent by those providing this support, and how people with disabilities perceive their own autonomy.
Based on the assessment, more than 70 people with disabilities, 34 of whom were women, and caregivers strengthened their knowledge of the rights of persons with disabilities, care and support systems, and participation and advocacy through a community-based learning programme.
The pilot project concluded with the provision of a package of services to 32 people with disabilities, 25 women and 7 men, aimed at increasing their autonomy, promoting independent living and reducing the amount of time they require unpaid care and support. The package included assistive devices and technologies, support services, and coordination with the local administration to restore rights that had been violated in the areas of health and education.
The pilot project provided care and support services to 32 people with disabilities to strengthen their autonomy and promote independent living. Photo: UN Women/Lorena Velasco.
“With the support of the Government of Canada and through our partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Villavicencio and the Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios – Rectoría Oriente, we have supported Villavicencio in taking a concrete step towards ensuring that care and support for persons with disabilities are recognized as rights and shared responsibilities, rather than as invisible work that has historically fallen on women,” said María Inés Salamanca Vidak, UN Women Country Representative in Colombia.
Next steps
For UN Women, this work represents a step towards a society in which care is recognized as a public good and as essential work, as well as a cornerstone of more prosperous, sustainable and just economies. Achieving this requires keeping the rights of women with disabilities and caregivers at the heart of equality policies.