González, M. N., Moreno, N., Barreto, J., Fúquene, J., Díaz, M.S.C., Ríos, P., Figueroa, M.X., Gómez, M.A., & Ferreira, A. (2026). Recognizing care from ethnic worldviews: Contributions from a participatory research for the ethnic chapter of the National Care System in Colombia [Policy brief]. Project Initiatives to Strengthen Care Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This policy brief presents the results of the project “Weaving Care,” a participatory research carried out together with 51 women caregivers, leaders, and traditional knowledge holders from 25 indigenous, Afro-Colombian, Raizal, and Palenquero communities from various regions of the country. The study shows that in these territories, care is understood as an integral practice that is inseparable from the land, traditional knowledge—such as midwifery and local medicine—and community networks that sustain life. However, these knowledges and practices have historically been made invisible by predominantly urban and homogeneous public policy frameworks, creating institutional tensions that limit their recognition. Based on this evidence, the document provides strategic inputs for the design and implementation of the ethnic chapter of the National Care System and the National Care Policy (CONPES 4143), emphasizing the need to open spaces for intercultural dialogue and ensure active community participation in public decision-making.