We reviewed over 200 businesses worldwide*, and have identified over 165 businesses operating in the care economy across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia who met the following 4 criteria: 
1. Geography focus: operating in project target countries.
2. Care economy impact: business activities recognize, reduce, reward or redistribute care work.
3. Proof of concept: care economy activities at least at the launch stage (none of the businesses are at concept stage).
4. Market-based intervention: already or planning to be financially profitable or to generate income in the medium term.

Out of the mapping we selected 60 businesses to conduct a full profile and showcase potential investment opportunities. These profiles have been created from information and data provided by the business itself. Use the filter on the left to access the businesses profiled.

* Disclaimer: The data presented in the business mapping and profiles is based on information provided by the businesses and has not been independently verified

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36 listing found

Acacia Innovations Ltd

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Kenya
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman
About the organization: Acacia Innovations is a for-profit, women-led social enterprise specializing in the manufacturing and sale of biomass briquettes (branded under Kuni Safi). It reduces care work by saving time, money & energy spent by women in cooking and fuel collection. Acacia manufactures and distributes affordable cookstoves & briquettes, a nearly smokeless alternative to firewood, made of sugarcane waste. The enterprise’s work has helped reduce deforestation and the risk of respiratory illnesses due to indoor air pollution. Acacia’s customers save an average of 35% compared to firewood and 50% compared to charcoal.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions, Child-care (Ages 6 and above)
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

AgeWatch Africa Foundation

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Kenya
Women owned / led: Not women owned or led
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: AgeWatch Africa Foundation (AAF) is a non-profit social enterprise whose mission is to provide compassionate and high-quality care to the elderly in rural Kenya. AAF provides a variety of care services including home care, group day-care, palliative care and a full-service residential care facility. AAF’s customers include economically disadvantaged, those in poor health, people living with disability, and those living alone.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Elderly-care (Ages 60 and above), Care for persons with special needs (disabled / differently abled persons), Care for people with illnesses
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable services that provide care & domestic work
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reward, Reduce, Redistribute

Aqua Clara Kenya

Headquarters: United States of America

Country of Operations: Kenya
Women owned / led: At least 30% of women in board of directors
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: Aqua Clara is a non-profit entity that provide communities with affordable, easy-to use filters, so they can access safe water at home. Aqua Clara’s products are used by households, schools and health centres. The entity’s products have reduced care work as families no longer have to boil water over smoky fires to remove impurities. This has not only reduced illnesses but also has reduced the time and money spent on collecting and buying fuel.
Stage of Growth: Established/Mature
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Arogga

Headquarters: Bangladesh

Country of Operations: Bangladesh
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman
About the organization: Arogga is a a for-profit digital pharmacy and healthcare startup in Bangladesh. It has developed an app that enables patients to manage, order and track the delivery of medication and healthcare products in and around Dhaka. Arogga increases affordability and availability of medicines by buying in bulk and passing a percentage of the manufacturer’s discount to its customers. The platform also provides services such as doctor consultations, laboratory testing and insurance. Its services reduce the burden of unpaid care work involved in taking care of family members with chronic illnesses that require frequent follow-ups and medications. It enables customers to sources all prescribed medications from a single source.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: “Care for persons with special needs (disabled / differently abled persons) Care for people with illnesses”
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable services that provide care & domestic work
Pathway to impact: Reduce

ATEC

Headquarters: Bangladesh

Country of Operations: Bangladesh, Cambodia
Women owned / led: Information not available
For more information, download the full
business profile here

 
About the organization: ATEC Biodigesters International (ATEC) is a for-profit entity that provides sustainable, affordable and accessible clean cooking products for base of the pyramid households in Bangladesh and Cambodia. It has integrated a pay-as-you-go (“PAYGO”) consumer finance model with the household biodigesters, allowing rural farmers to easily access a technology that produces biogas as a clean cooking solution, as well as sustainable, organic fertilizer for agriculture. For women and girls, the entity’s product reduces the drudgery associated with accessing firewood for cooking. It also has positive impacts on the environment and health of women.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products (e.g. product that makes washing
Pathway to impact: Reduce

AYAT Care

Website: ayatcare.com
Headquarters: Bangladesh

Country of Operations: Bangladesh
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman, At least 30% women in senior leadership positions
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: AYAT Care provides personnel for care services which are tailored to the needs of the care receiver and includes health monitoring, mental health support and medical advice, in addition to traditional care for children and the elderly. It makes professional care services available to its customers by providing training for its care-givers. It provides employment opportunities to mostly female youth, who have dropped out from school, while serving customers who find it difficult to find trained and dependable caregivers. Although profit oriented, AYAT care is not profitable yet. It plans to become profitable in the next 3 years.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Child-care (Ages 6 and above), Elderly-care (Ages 60 and above), Care for persons with special needs (disabled / differently abled persons), Care for people with illnesses
Activities in the care economy: Provision of technology & services that train/upskill domestic & care workers
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reward, Redistribute

BBOXX Ltd

Headquarters: United Kingdom

Country of Operations: Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Pakistan, DRC, Togo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Rwanda, Burkina Faso
Women owned / led: Information not available
About the organization: BBOXX provides affordable, reliable, and clean electricity and other utility services to those who are living without them. It designs, manufactures, distributes and finances decentralised energy solutions. It is a for-profit company that operates in 11 countries in Asia and Africa. It has provided clean, reliable and affordable electricity to households, communities and businesses. The services provided by BBOXX have improved the quality of life for millions of customers, especially women and children, by providing them access to lighting.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Domestic services
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Bidhaa Sasa

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Kenya, Uganda
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman, At least 51% owned by women
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: Bidhaa Sasa is a for-profit company that supplies a range of products to customers in rural communities of Kenya. Its products include solar lamps, systems and radios, efficient cookstoves, LPG cylinders and cooking accessories, as well as water tanks and agricultural tools. More than 70% of the company’s customers are women. Bidha Sasa products enable women to operate in cleaner and safer environments and reduce the drudgery associated with domestic work. The company also provides nano-credit to its customers to make the products affordable.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Brightgreen renewable energy

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Kenya
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman
About the organization: Brightgreen Renewable Energy produces and distributes safe and smokeless charcoal made from recycled urban waste. This for-profit company is operational in Kenya. It delivers clean and sustainable energy to customers through B2B and B2B2C models. The company aims to reduce the costs associated with cooking by up to 50% and reduce the reliance of African households on wood fuel. This in turn reduces the drudgery associated with wood collection and cooking for many African women.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

BURN Manufacturing

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Somaliland, Somalia, Tanzania, DRC, South Sudan, Puntland, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi, Australia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Canada, Germany, Ivory Coast, India, Thailand, Malawi
Women owned / led: At least 30% of women in board of directors
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: BURN is a for-profit company that manufactures affordable clean cookstoves for households in sub-Saharan Africa. To date, BURN has sold over 1.2 million stoves. BURN’s cookstoves save money, fuel and time for its customers and help reduce harmful indoor smoke emissions which can cause significant health problems. The company’s products are instrumental in reducing the burden of collecting firewood, which typically falls on women, and potentially exposes them to risk of physical and sexual violence.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

D.Light

Headquarters: United States of America

Country of Operations: Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, India
Women owned / led: None
About the organization: d.light is a for-profit company that provides affordable solar-powered solutions for households and small businesses in developing countries. Through its hubs in Africa, China, South Asia and the United States, d.light has sold over 20 million solar light and power products in 70 countries. Its solar lanterns and solar home systems provide brighter and safer environment for households, improving quality of life for its consumers, especially women. Its products result in reduced energy expenditure for household and businesses.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Drinkwell

Headquarters: United States of America

Country of Operations: Bangladesh, India
Women owned / led: None
About the organization: Drinkwell is a for-profit that provides water infrastructure solutions in Bangladesh and India. Drinkwell provides water filtration systems and ATM dispensing machines that households can use to obtain arsenic- and fluoride-free water. This has reduced time spent on obtaining clean water in low-income households and institutions.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Eau et Vie

Headquarters: France

Country of Operations: Bangladesh, Philippines
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman, At least 30% women in senior leadership positions, At least 30% of women in board of directors
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: Eau et Vie is a non-profit that develops water networks in slum areas to provide affordable and sustainable tap water at home. The organization is able to serve tap water in locations where operators of municipal systems are unable to reach. This enables time savings for women and reduces drudgery in accessing water from inconvenient locations. Furthermore, it not only promotes urban inclusion but also has impacts on aspects such as hygiene (personal and menstrual), fire-fighting, waste management and sanitation.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Domestic services, Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of technology, services & policies/practice that improve conditions for domestic & care worker
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reduce

Emerging Cooking Solutions Sweden AB

Headquarters: Sweden

Country of Operations: Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman, At least 30% women in senior leadership positions, At least 30% of women in board of directors
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: Emerging Cooking Solutions is a for-profit company that manufactures and distributes SupaMoto® clean-burning stoves and biomass cooking fuel for low-income urban families and businesses in Zambia. The company’s products have not only helped reduce the care work undertaken by women in fuel collection but also reduced the fuel cost associated with cooking. Since 2013, the company has reached 20,000 households. For every 2 households that switch from charcoal to pellets, the savings in carbon emissions is 8 tonnes per year.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Domestic services
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Folia Water

Headquarters: United States of America

Country of Operations: Bangladesh
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: Folia Water is a for-profit company. It provides affordable and effective water filtration systems to communities that lack access to safe and potable water. Its patented silver-infused filter papers kill bacteria and viruses and filter out dirt and larger parasites. Its water filteration systems reduce the drudgery in collecting water from inconvenient places, especially for women. Other associated impacts include reduced negative health impacts from unsafe water and associated time and capital costs for low-income households.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Domestic services, Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

HandyMama.co Ltd

Website: handymama.co
Headquarters: Bangladesh

Country of Operations: Bangladesh
Women owned / led: None
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: HandyMama is an on-demand home services platform in Bangladesh. This for-profit company connects its customers with trained and verified service providers, such as professional cleaners, maintenance people, packers and movers. The company’s workforce includes 40% women and it intends to launch other services such as cooking, cleaning and laundry services soon. HandyMama is able to reduce the burden of care work by providing affordable and standardized domestic services.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Domestic services, Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of technology, services & policies/practice that improve conditions for domestic & care worker
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reward, Redistribute

HelloTask

Headquarters: Singapore

Country of Operations: Bangladesh
Women owned / led: None
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: HelloTask is a for-profit online platform that connects domestic workers to potential employers in Bangladesh. In developing countries, most care workers are not smartphone users, which has excluded them from digital opportunities. The company has built a technology that connects any mobile phone user to employers in real-time. Through its model, HelloTask improves access to opportunities for domestic workers.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Domestic services
Activities in the care economy: Provision of technology & services that train/upskill domestic & care workers
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reward, Redistribute

Imvubu Projects Pty Ltd trading as Hippo Roller

Headquarters: South Africa

Country of Operations: Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and most sub-saharan African countries
Women owned / led: None
For more information, download the full
business profile here

 
About the organization: Imvubu Projects is a for-profit enterprise trading as Hippo roller. The rollers are an appropriate technology solution designed for tough rural conditions where access to water and water infrastructure is unstable. The rollers are used to transport more water using minimal effort. This reduces the care work undertaken mostly by women, children, and the elderly. Hippo roller’s capacity of 90 Liters provides adequate water for least 2 people to sustain themselves on a daily basis.
Stage of Growth: Small scale roll-out/Early stage
Types of Services: Child-care (Ages 6 and above), Elderly-care (Ages 60 and above), Labour saving solutions
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable time and labour saving technology and products
Pathway to impact: Reduce

Jazza Centre Limited

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Kenya
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman
For more information, download the full
business profile here

 
About the organization: Jazza Centre is a for-profit social enterprise that trains and places domestic workers in Kenya. The enterprise formalizes the employment process for domestic workers by ensuring that domestic workers and employers sign employment contracts. Jazza Centre increases recognition and reward for domestic workers by negotiating fair terms of employment and skill development. It reduces the burden of care work in households through provision of trained domestic workers.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Infant-care (children younger than 1-year), Child-care (Ages 1 to 5), Child-care (Ages 6 and above), Elderly-care (Ages 60 and above), Care for persons with special needs (disabled / differently abled persons), Domestic services
Activities in the care economy: Provision of technology, services & policies/practice that improve conditions for domestic & care worker
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reward, Redistribute

Kidogo

Headquarters: Kenya

Country of Operations: Kenya
Women owned / led: Founded by at least one woman
For more information, download the full
business profile here

About the organization: Kidogo is a non-profit social enterprise that improves access to high-quality, affordable early childhood care & education in Kenya’s low-income communities. Kidogo supports women entrepreneurs to initiate or improve the quality of their own, community-based childcare micro-businesses. Kidogo reduces care work as parents have access to quality childcare service at the centres. 82% of Kidogo kids hit developmental goals. Kidogo kids receive health and nutrition interventions, that have also led to a 41% reduction in stunting.
Stage of Growth: Mass roll-out/Expansion
Types of Services: Infant-care (children younger than 1-year), Child-care (Ages 1 to 5)
Activities in the care economy: Provision of affordable services that provide care & domestic work
Pathway to impact: Recognize, Reward, Redistribute