CARE Project
What is the CARE Project?
The ‘CARE’ in CARE Project stands for Caregiver Research. The project’s primary goal is to collect the stories of caregivers in our community to understand what they are going through. The CARE Project will train caregivers, and other community members, how to do research about their work conditions and their lives. After 6 training sessions, you will be a certified CARE Project researcher. You will also be given leadership development training so that you can have the tools to address the issues that emerge from the research.
(Check out CARE Project updates here.)
What do caregivers do?
Caregivers assist adults who cannot care for themselves. Their charges can be people of old age, have disabilities, or suffer from other chronic conditions. In the US, the crisis for care for the elderly population is intensifying, as that population will reach 71million in 2030.
For thousands of Filipinos who leave their country daily, becoming a caregiver in the U.S. is a viable option for work given the demand for that type of worker.
Given that many Filipinos work as caregivers, we have to unite with fellow Filipino caregivers to learn about how the caregiver industry works and how we can change it!
“A fight for caregiver rights is a fight for dignity.”
In a study conducted by the Filipino Community Center in 2011, they found that caregivers do a lot more than taker care of their patients:
Is the pay too low?
Are they working overtime without pay?
Are the working conditions safe?
Do they get benefits?
How do their employers treat them?
As we continue FCC’s project, we want to understand what the most pressing issues are for caregivers. Through the process of gathering more and more caregivers’ stories, we hope they will be inspired to take a stand together to fight for their rights. We, along with FCC pledge to stand with them!
The CARE Project is sponsored by the Filipino Community Center, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns and Gabriela-USA.