Nepal Expands Care Cooperatives to Boost Women's Employment

Women in Nepal continue to shoulder most unpaid care work while remaining heavily represented in informal employment, limiting their ability to pursue paid jobs, build new skills and take on leadership roles.

Nepal has launched a national initiative to expand community-based care cooperatives, aiming to ease the unpaid care burden carried by women, create decent jobs in the care economy and improve access to affordable care services for families across the country.

Women in Nepal continue to shoulder most unpaid care work while remaining heavily represented in informal employment, limiting their ability to pursue paid jobs, build new skills and take on leadership roles. Labour migration has added to these pressures, leaving many households with greater care responsibilities and fewer opportunities for women to participate in the workforce.

To address these challenges, the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCF), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO), has launched a national programme to strengthen community-based care services through care cooperatives. The initiative forms part of the EU–UN Empowered Women, Prosperous Nepal Joint Programme and the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions.

Care cooperatives are designed to provide affordable and reliable care services while creating employment opportunities for care workers. They also help families balance work and caregiving responsibilities by making quality care more accessible within local communities.

Training Programme Builds National Capacity

A key part of the initiative involves developing a network of skilled facilitators who will help cooperatives establish and manage care services throughout Nepal. These trainers will work with cooperative leaders, government representatives and community organisations to identify local care needs, design suitable services and strengthen community-based care systems.

The programme draws on the ILO's Think.CareCOOP and Start.CareCOOP training tools, which provide practical guidance for establishing and managing cooperative-based care services. The first group of 30 trainers has completed training under the Think.CareCOOP programme and will return for additional Start.CareCOOP training before becoming the country's first ILO-certified trainers in these modules. These certified trainers will then deliver training across Nepal, helping existing cooperatives launch care services while supporting the creation of new care cooperatives in different regions.

Pilot Projects Lay Foundation for National Expansion

The initiative is being piloted in Madhesh, Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces, where care cooperatives are expected to improve livelihoods, expand access to quality care and encourage more inclusive local economic development. Early organisational assessments and consultations have already generated strong interest among provincial authorities, municipal governments and cooperative organisations. As part of the programme, the National Cooperative Federation will also develop model bylaws for approval by the Department of Cooperatives, prepare standard operating guidelines and create a national toolkit that will support the expansion of care cooperatives through Nepal's network of more than 32,500 primary cooperatives.

By recognising care as both an essential social service and a source of economic opportunity, the initiative seeks to reduce unpaid care responsibilities, increase women's participation in paid employment and strengthen social protection systems. The programme is expected to contribute to greater gender equality, more resilient local economies and sustainable job creation while improving access to quality care services for families across Nepal.