In the care economy, unpaid does not mean worthless

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By Laura Addati, ILO Policy Specialist

For me, August means juggling the demands of school holiday childcare with those of my paid employment. Really, it’s like having two jobs; both rewarding and time-consuming, both with responsibilities.

Perhaps it’s only when we have children or other loved ones who need care, that we really recognize the value of unpaid care work. Continue reading

Ebola outbreak: how we’re keeping workers safe

Dennis Zulu Chief Program Officer

Dennis Zulu, Chief Program Officer, ILO Office for Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

When news of the first cases of the Ebola outbreak started filtering out of Guinea and Sierra Leone in late 2013, it received little media attention—even here in West Africa. The affected villages were so remote that most people assumed it would be easy to contain.

As someone who travels frequently to Freetown (Sierra Leone), I took a special interest in the news. The village of Kenema, now thought to be the epicentre of the outbreak, was formerly the site of an ILO development project.

Continue reading

Liberia: Waging war on youth unemployment

Dennis Zulu

Dennis Zulu

By Dennis Zulu, Chief Program Officer, ILO Office for Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The room was filled with about 50 excited Liberian youth, all sporting white T-shirts with the inscription “Graduate” printed on the back.

The young women and men had completed three-month apprenticeships with enterprises in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. For many of them, this was the first time in their lives that they had received any form of training, let alone a certificate.

And many had hopes their new skills would open the door to a bright future. Continue reading