The value of care in the processes of women’s empowerment. The case of the Campaign “Act with care. Transform Reality”

Abstract

This article presents the first findings of a joint research project carried out by Loyola University Andalusia and the NGO InteRed examining the Campaign “Actúa con cuidados. Transforma la realidad” (Spanish for: Act with care. Transform reality). The campaign developed in Andalusia in 2014-2016 and sought to encourage global citizenship in the sense that it promoted spaces for reflection on what society we live in when the most basic thing, the generation and sustainability of life, has been relegated to a last level of valuation and recognition. Thus, together with reflection and critical analysis, the campaign promoted processes of empowerment and generation of capabilities in the citizenry aimed at personal and collective transformation.

The research has analyzed the impact of the campaign on the campaign’s multiplier agents (volunteers, teachers, decision-makers) by means of a qualitative methodology based on the emerging or grounded theory. After presenting the methodology and main results, the conclusion is that reflecting on the value of care is a starting point in the process of women’s empowerment in their different contexts and moments in life, and a key issue  in global justice, as it allows for reflection on the world from a perspective that places the sustainability of life at the centre.