Earth Birth: A Global Women's Health Collective is a concept born by midwives to foster an international women's health movement that encourages and promotes safe and peaceful birth as an act of social justice and community healing. We offer a holistic approach to women's health care that is both community centered and internationally connected. Earth Birth makes a call to action for women all around the world to claim our rights to comprehensive healthcare, education and support. Our goals include community sustainability, lowered maternal and infant mortality rates, lowered mother to child HIV transmission, access to supplies, access to trauma counseling, the ability to articulate ones story and the facilitation of positive and empowered childbirth experiences.
We have three pilot programs: Earth Birth Gulu (Uganda), Earth Birth Isoke (Sudan) and Earth Birth Sao Paulo (Brazil).
We set up setting up small on site birthing centers in Internally Displaced Person's camps where women can come for comprehensive services, counseling, education and care. We have linked with community organizations and hospitals in these areas to help "child mothers" gain access to jobs, school and childcare so that they can mother with every possible opportunity.
The war in Northern Uganda has largely been reproductive. Women have been raped as tools of war and are now giving birth to babies which were conceived in violence. Often these women have a hard time bonding with or knowing how to care for their children with limited resources and no access to trauma counseling. The ability to articulate one's story is an integral theme of the Earth Birth project. Women have always told stories as a form of information transmission and ownership of events. To have safe spaces for the sharing of taboo and traumatic events allows for understanding and processing of events in context, ownership of experience and networking among women- all of which are integral to a healthy women's movement and improved practice of motherhood. Our spaces function as a community centers for story circles, workshops in active listening and sharing.
Traditional birth attendants live throughout the IDP camps, most of them victims of war and mothers themselves.The TBA's are currently unemployed and do not have formal training. Our international group of midwives work with the TBAs to develop practices that are community centered, culturally competent and sustainable. These women are the cornerstone of the birthing center sites. The TBA's are offered professional development, training, counseling and jobs.
We are partnering with Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, school director, midwife and winner of the CNN Hero's award to create a project that is truly of and for women's health in this area.
Our first clinic is currently being built next door to St. Monica's Tailoring School and will the child mothers who seek refuge there.
Our staff is headed up by Rachel Zaslow and Olivia Kimball.
Rachel is a midwife and is pursuing a PhD in Women's and Gender Studies. She teaches courses in Women's Health, War and Trauma as well as Alternative Healing Modalities. Her midwifery training began in Ghana, West Africa. She is the founder of the New York City Volunteer Doula Program as well as Young Mothers Strong Voices, a community based theater company for young women to share their stories of motherhood.
Olivia is a Certified Midwife who has extensive training in cultural competence and clinic management. She has practiced all over the world. from Brazil, Peru, the Mexico/Texas border to New Jersey and is heading up the Earth Birth effort in Gulu.
We believe that safe and peaceful birth experiences are necessary for a generation that is to live without war.