International Day Of Care And Support

Every year on 29 October we, along with our local charity partners and the carers we support together, celebrate the United Nations International Day of Care and Support.

On this day of celebration and recognition of unpaid carers, our aim is to reach more people, communities and policymakers and make them aware of the issues that unpaid carers face across South Asia.

How can I Support Carers in India, Bangladesh and Nepal on International Day of Care and Support?

Donating to Carers Worldwide helps us to support unpaid carers in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. We work with local charity partners in these countries, to support unpaid carers and promote their physical, emotional, economic and social well-being.

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What Do You Do on the Day?

On the International Day of Care and Support, our local charity partners, the carers they support and their communities, come out in force to raise awareness of unpaid carers and the issues and challenges they face, as well as the massive contribution they make to society. Carers and their supporters hold rallies, form human chains, share their experiences and submit memoranda to their local government authorities, focusing on carers’ issues, rights and needs.

“Until we make caring visible, communities and government will not recognise the huge contribution made by unpaid carers and in turn provide them with the support they need. This is why we are joining together with our partner organisations, local government and other stakeholders to celebrate the International Day of Care and Support and draw attention to unpaid carers.”

– Anil Patil, Founder & Executive Director, Carers Worldwide.

Why Celebrate the International Day of Care and Support?

This international day of recognition is an opportunity for unpaid carers and their supporters to make sure they are seen and heard. Although there are invaluable benefits to providing care, being an unpaid carer can take a heavy toll on the carer’s health and well-being and can impact them financially if they have to withdraw from work to care for their loved ones.

When the UN proclaimed the 29th October as International Day of Care and Support, it did so with a view to recognising, reducing, valuing and redistributing unpaid care, as well as recognising and valuing paid care work and care workers. Carers Worldwide is committed to making unpaid carers visible and valued.

Celebrating the UN International Day of Care & Support is significant for Carers Worldwide and our partners for several key reasons. It will raise awareness and encourage public discourse about carers' contributions and the challenges they face; provide a platform to advocate for carers' rights; build solidarity among carers; align local, national, and global efforts to improve carers' lives and shine a spotlight on innovative initiatives and successful interventions worldwide.

Highlights to Date

Over the last three years, we have seen over 50,000 unpaid carers and their supporters join together to raise awareness of the issues and challenges faced by unpaid carers.

Some key highlights include:

In 2022 our Founder Anil Patil was interviewed live for an hour by a regional TV channel in Karnataka India, Doordarshan Chandana, and the interview was eventually viewed 2.89 million times!
The Tamil Nadu government, India, issued an order in 2022 to pay extra allowance for high-dependence care.
In 2023 in India, the Government of Karnataka also celebrated Carers Day as an official day across the state. This meant that additional carers, their supporters and government rehabilitation workers participated in Carers Day, helping us to reach more people and raise awareness in other communities.
In 2023 in Bangladesh, carers and their loved ones came together to celebrate, and we were also joined by many senior civil servants who made their personal commitments to the carers’ movement.
In 2024, the state of Karnataka in India held a state-level celebration of the International Day of Care and Support, demonstrating their recognition of the issues and bringing much-needed visibility of the critical role carers play for their loved ones, in their communities and in society as a whole
In 2025, the state of Karnataka in India again held a state-level celebration to mark the day, as well as issuing an order that the day should be formally recognised and celebrated across all 31 of its districts.