Much of everyday life is made possible by care relationships that often remain unseen. A friend who listens to us, a grandparent who cares for a child, a colleague who supports a project, a neighborhood solidarity network, a park, a tree, or even the street we walk down every day—these relationships quietly sustain our lives, often without being recognized.
Yet care is not simply an individual responsibility. Life is sustained through our interdependence with one another and with the ecosystems we inhabit.
At İhtimam Association, we developed the Care Network Mapping methodology to make this relational dimension of care visible.
This approach reminds us that care networks are not composed only of people. Institutions, communities, public services, places, ecosystems, and non-human beings also play essential roles in sustaining our lives. What supports us is rarely individual effort alone, but rather the complex care ecosystems in which we are embedded.
Why Do We Map Care Networks?
Modern societies often encourage us to see ourselves as independent individuals. We tend to view our achievements as the result of personal effort and our struggles as individual shortcomings.
In reality, however, none of us lives alone.
Whether we attend an event, complete a project, sustain a community, or keep an organization functioning, these activities are made possible through visible and invisible networks of care.
Through Care Network Mapping, we explore questions such as:
- Who are the people sustaining this organization today?
- Which forms of care labor remain invisible in my life?
- Which relationships do I depend on, and who depends on me?
- On whose shoulders does the care burden of our institutions rest?
- Who receives support in our communities, and who remains unseen?
- What role do non-human beings and ecological systems play in our care networks?
These questions do not have definitive answers. Yet making them visible together is an important first step toward a more equitable distribution of care.
The Care Network Mapping Methodology
The Care Network Mapping methodology developed by İhtimam helps participants visualize their own care ecosystems.
During the mapping process, participants are invited to reflect on:
- The people and institutions that care for them
- The people they care for
- Their support networks
- Their communities
- Public services
- Non-human beings and ecological elements
By bringing these relationships together on a single map, participants can see that care is not merely a relationship between two individuals, but a complex, reciprocal, and collective network.
Digital Care Network Mapping Tool
To make this methodology accessible to everyone, we developed a digital tool that allows individuals and organizations to map their own care networks.
Care Network Mapping Tool
The tool enables users to:
- Make invisible care relationships visible
- Recognize the support networks that sustain their lives
- Assess the care capacity of their organizations
- Identify strengths and vulnerabilities within their communities
Use the Tool:
https://ihtimam.org/bh
Workshops for Organizations and Communities
We facilitate Care Network Mapping workshops with organizations, institutions, and communities.
To date, we have applied this methodology with:
- Private sector organizations
- Civil society organizations
- Local governments
- Networks and coalitions
- Universities
- Community groups
- Strategic planning and visioning processes
These workshops not only make existing care networks visible but also help participants examine how care responsibilities are distributed, where bottlenecks emerge, and how more equitable care structures can be designed.
The resulting care maps often serve as the foundation for developing organization-specific care policies and strategies.
If you would like to organize a Care Network Mapping Workshop within your organization, community, or event, we would be happy to hear from you.
You can also download the template to map your own care network individually or collectively.
Download the Care Network Mapping Template
When Care Becomes Visible
Mapping care networks is about more than seeing relationships.
It is also a reminder of a simple truth:
None of us lives alone.
Our lives are continuously sustained by people, communities, institutions, and ecosystems. When these relationships become visible, we can better understand that care is not an act of sacrifice but a fundamental infrastructure of collective life.
This is why we carry out Care Network Mapping work: to make the invisible visible, to create space for conversations about the value and distribution of care, and to support the design of more equitable care ecosystems.
