Caring for caregivers: understanding the drivers of caregiver well-being in Senegal, Benin and the Ivory Coast

Shalmali Ghaisas

SECTOR

Labour and Education

PROJECT TYPE

Qualitative research

DOI

Location

Senegal | Benin | Ivory Coast

BEHAVIORAL THEME

Care giver wellbeing

OVERVIEW

Busara conducted a qualitative study with 150 caregivers across Senegal, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire to understand how caregivers define well-being, what drives their stress, and where they need the most support. The research highlights that well-being is shaped by financial security, children’s welfare, and emotional balance, while stress is often attributed to external forces. Findings reveal strong reliance on prayer, entrenched gender norms, and limited self-efficacy that reinforce a cycle of stress.

Research Questions

How do caregivers understand well-being?
What barriers prevent them from practicing well-being?
Are caregivers able to overcome these barriers?
Where do caregivers need the most support?
What should future interventions prioritize to improve caregiver well-being?

Methods

The study engaged 150 participants (97 women and 53 men) across Senegal, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire, using qualitative interviews and key informant insights. Sampling covered urban and rural locations, focusing on caregivers and community stakeholders. The team explored stress experiences, coping strategies, gender norms, and perceptions of agency.

THEMATIC AREAS

Key Findings

Caregivers define well-being as the absence of stress, heavily influenced by finances, children’s well-being, and emotional balance.
Prayer and spiritual leaders are the primary coping response to stress.
Caregivers feel limited control over stressors, which reinforces exhaustion and reduces self-care.
Rigid gender norms position caregiving as women’s work and provision as men’s primary duty.
Male involvement in childcare is low, often limited to leisure activities, while women’s workload reduces their ability to offer stimulating care.
Formal support systems exist (food, cash transfers, ECD programs) but are inconsistently delivered and often inaccessible to the most vulnerable.

Policy & Development Implications

Interventions should integrate well-being support into familiar community spaces such as VSLAs and worship gatherings.
Programs must use sensitive, context-appropriate language to encourage participation from both men and women.
Strengthening paternal involvement can reduce caregiver stress and improve child outcomes.
Building self-efficacy and practical coping skills can help caregivers manage stress beyond spiritual approaches.

You can read the full report using the download button.
This poster is also available in French, and you can read it here.