CARE and the Latin America Domestic Workers’ Movement

The domestic workers’ movement in Latin America has a long history of organizing dating back to the first decade of the 20th century. Thus, when CARE started engaging with domestic worker organizations as part of what would become the Dignified Work program (Trabajo Digno), it was entering a complex web of historical relationships, agendas, and existing organizations.

CARE’s accompaniment of domestic worker organizations has been characterized by a desire and commitment to learn more effective ways of supporting social movements in their quest to promote social change. In 2017, CARE convened a workshop to document the story of that accompaniment, surface lessons learned, good practices, and recommendations for the future. This process brought together 16 movement leaders from 9 Latin American countries, alongside 10 CARE staff. This report synthesizes this story; a historical review of the relationship between CARE and the movement; and an analysis of the successes and tensions in that relationship, highlighting throughout the voices of those present at the workshop.

  • Countries: Latin America
  • Co-authors: Sarah Loose and Patricia Vasquez
  • Published: July 2017

Related Publications