The Inanda Club hosted the launch of the Real Economy Campaign, a movement demanding recognition for the unseen work that keeps families and societies afloat, on October 4.

Timed with South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the Women 20 (W20) anniversary, the campaign’s rallying cry is clear: Care is Capital.

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Organisers urge leaders to enshrine care, safety, and financial inclusion in the Johannesburg goals, targets to cut gender gaps in work, pay, and unpaid care by 35% by 2035.

The event combined art, conversation, and culture, featuring the debut of Faces of the Real Economy, a portrait and film series by acclaimed photographer Tatenda Chidora.

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Styled as magazine covers, the portraits spotlight 15 individuals, nannies, nurses, teachers, domestic workers, and entrepreneurs, whose daily labour is often invisible but vital.

“This campaign demands that we count care, fund care and recognise care as the infrastructure of resilient, inclusive economies,” said Dr Okito Wedi, medical doctor and founder of Crtve Development, the pan-African advocacy group behind the initiative.

Wedi added that this campaign will build toward the Real Economy Summit in 2026, encouraging African and global leaders to prioritise care and women’s empowerment at the heart of their economic planning.

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