we care nz

a quick post to direct you to the "we care campaign", who are directing their efforts towards advocacy for carers in the health sector. from their website:

More than 420,000 New Zealanders care for ill, frail, injured or disabled family members and friends.

Carers are New Zealand’s biggest health workforce, and their unpaid work has an annual value of more than $7 billion. We will all give or need family care during our lives.

Despite their important role in family life and society, carers can feel invisible … taken for granted.

Add your voice to ours to call for genuine support and good decision-making for carers!

Send an email to the Prime Minister, John Key, or submit a photo to our visual petition with your own message about caring!

if you're interested, there's a facebook page as well.

remember that the majority of these 420,000 carers will be women, and those who get paid get the minimum wage - unless they are a close family member of the person being cared for. again from the website, here is brian easton's article on the latter subject (pdf).