Nairobi, March 9 -- The theme for this year's International Women's Day is "Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress."

For those of us working to support the childcare sector, this theme couldn't resonate more.

While childcare is as old as humanity, it has taken a while for most countries to view childcare as a profession and to develop the infrastructure required to make it universally accessible.

Also read: Understanding childcare ecosystem in Kenya is vital

A key factor fuelling this perception is that childcare is not seen as a public good or human right with corresponding obligations on the government as a duty bearer.

Consequently, in these countries, there are few to no publicly funded childcare services. This lacuna is a cause fo...