Life Circle Joins the TransformCare Investment Initiative Asia Pacific (TCII AP) to Strengthen India's Care Economy
Introduction
Life Circle is honoured to have participated in the TransformCare Investment Initiative Asia Pacific (TCII AP)—a landmark platform jointly convened by UN Women India and the UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Centre, Republic of Korea. Supported by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea and the European Union, the TransformCare Investment Initiative Asia Pacific represents a pivotal step toward reshaping how nations across the region finance, design, and sustain their care economies.
This initiative is part of the broader global TransformCare movement, which is dedicated to accelerating public and private investments, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, and building sustainable care systems that drive meaningful women’s economic empowerment. Through its Technical Assistance Facility, the programme delivers a multi-country learning and capacity-building series that equips governments, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners with viable care financing strategies to create lasting impact.
Life Circle’s participation in this initiative reflects our unwavering dedication to advancing the care workforce development landscape in India and contributing to a more equitable, inclusive care economy across the Asia-Pacific region.
UN Women Care Economy: Financing a More Equitable Future Across Asia Pacific
The two-day workshop brought together delegates from across India and several Asia-Pacific countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, and Bhutan. At the heart of the programme was a shared mission: to explore and develop sustainable financing models that can strengthen the Asia-Pacific care economy—enabling millions of women to participate fully in the workforce while ensuring high-quality care for seniors, children, and persons with disabilities.
The sessions underscored a crucial reality: the care economy is not just a social issue—it is a critical economic driver. When care systems are well-funded and professionally managed, they unlock enormous potential for women’s labour force participation, reduce household poverty, and improve overall community wellbeing.
Why Strengthening the Care Economy Matters for Women's Economic Empowerment
Key discussions throughout the workshop highlighted several urgent realities that underscore the importance of investing in the care sector:
- Unmet care needs deepen cycles of poverty and social exclusion, particularly for marginalised communities.
- Women globally—and in India specifically—bear a disproportionate share of unpaid care work, limiting their economic independence and professional growth.
- In India, women perform 7 times more unpaid caregiving compared to men, placing an enormous and unrecognised burden on their time, health, and career opportunities.
- Strengthening the care sector can create meaningful, dignified employment—especially for women from low-income backgrounds.
- A well-resourced care economy directly supports gender responsive budgeting and equitable national development.
Participants strongly emphasised the importance of the 5Rs of Care: Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute, Represent, and Reward. A critical 6th R—Resourcing—was also introduced, underscoring the urgent need for concrete financial commitments to support care infrastructure financing and professional care services at scale.
Interactive Group Sessions and Cross-Country Learning
To maximise collaborative learning, delegates were divided into multi-country sub-groups. Each group examined key pillars of care system development, including:
- Financing models for sustainable care infrastructure
- Innovations in care infrastructure that balance accessibility with quality
- Care workforce development strategies to professionalise and recognise caregiving roles
- Policies to support family caregivers, particularly women managing dual responsibilities
- Mechanisms to attract public and private investors into the care sector
This format encouraged rich cross-country insights and comparative learning, offering delegates an invaluable opportunity to understand how different nations are approaching care system development and what lessons can be applied within their own contexts.
Government of India and State Initiatives to Advance Care Infrastructure Financing
Representatives from the Government of India and various state governments presented national and regional programmes designed to address care work and promote care infrastructure financing. Notable programmes discussed included:
- Saksham Anganwadi – Strengthening early childhood care and education services
- Mission Shakti – Empowering women through safety, support, and economic independence
- National Time Use Survey – Recognising and quantifying unpaid care work across households
- e-Shram Portal – Formalising the unorganised workforce, including domestic and care workers
A standout presentation was the Government of Kerala’s Extreme Poverty Free mission, which places women’s challenges and caregiving needs at the very centre of policy-making. This model was widely appreciated by delegates for its holistic, gender-sensitive approach and its tangible impact on communities.
Deep Dive Into Gender Responsive Budgeting and Care Financing Frameworks
Several technical sessions equipped participants with sophisticated frameworks to design and finance robust care systems. These sessions were instrumental in translating high-level commitments into actionable policy and investment strategies. Key themes included:
- Gender responsive budgeting: Ensuring national and state budgets reflect the care needs of women and marginalised groups
- Blended financing for care infrastructure: Combining public funds, private capital, and philanthropic investment to expand care services sustainably
- Finance taxonomies and gender equity: Understanding how financial classification systems can be redesigned to prioritise gender-positive outcomes
- Policy simulations: Projecting care needs, required investments, and long-term return on investment (ROI) for care system development
- The Care Diamond model: A conceptual framework highlighting the shared responsibility among family, state, market, and community in delivering care
These frameworks empower nations to honestly assess their current care ecosystem, identify gaps in care infrastructure financing, and chart a clear pathway toward sustainable, inclusive growth.
Closing Ceremony: International Day of Care and the Launch of the Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator
The workshop concluded with a meaningful celebration of the International Day of Care, reaffirming the global commitment to recognising and investing in care work. The closing ceremony also marked the highly anticipated launch of the Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator—an innovative programme designed to support entrepreneurs working at the intersection of caregiving and climate resilience.
The Care and Climate Entrepreneurship Accelerator represents a forward-thinking recognition that the challenges of climate change and care are deeply interconnected. By backing innovative solutions in this space, the accelerator aims to catalyse a new generation of impact-driven enterprises that serve both people and the planet.
Life Circle's Commitment to Care Workforce Development and Women's Economic Empowerment in India
As one of India’s leading home care and caregiver workforce organisations, Life Circle firmly believes that expanding and investing in the care economy is essential for building a more just and equitable society. Our participation in the TransformCare Investment Initiative Asia Pacific reaffirms our commitment to:
- Creating dignified jobs for women through professional caregiving opportunities
- Providing reliable caregiving support for families navigating elder care, disability care, and child care needs
- Improving health outcomes for seniors through trained, compassionate care professionals
- Reducing the unpaid care burden on women by formalising and resourcing care services
- Building a compassionate, gender-equal society where care work is valued, recognised, and fairly rewarded
- Advocating for gender responsive budgeting and care-focused policy reform at national and state levels
Life Circle’s engagement in TCII AP strengthens our resolve to professionalise caregiving in India, invest meaningfully in care workforce development, and collaborate with governments, civil society, and the private sector to build a care infrastructure that works for everyone—especially women.
We look forward to translating the insights and frameworks gained through this initiative into concrete programmes and partnerships that uplift caregivers, support families, and contribute to India’s growing role in the Asia-Pacific care economy.
To learn more about the TransformCare Investment Initiative Asia Pacific, visit the UN Women Asia Pacific digital library. To explore how Life Circle is advancing care workforce development in India, visit lifecircle.in
