Hair and skincare company Carol’s Daughter has announced a partnership with the Mama Glow Foundation, a reproductive justice non-profit organization, to offer doula grants. The grants are part of their joint initiative, Love Delivered.
Starting Tuesday, Black birthing people can apply for a grant to be matched with a doula trained by Mama Glow for complimentary doula support. In addition, the grant will also be available to pregnant women or recently postpartum applicants in the following cities to start: New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami and Atlanta.
Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter, and Latham Thomas, founder of the Mama Glow Foundation, launched the Love Delivered initiative this past April, making the announcement during a joint appearance on The Breakfast Club. Together, they are pledging to commit over $225,000 to funding doula services and providing doula education grants for aspiring birth workers over the next three years. The purpose is to have a more positive impact on birth outcomes for Black families in need.
“I was blessed to have my husband and dear friend serve as my birthing advocates. They recognized my needs and spoke to me AND up for me in so many ways,” Price said in a release. “My hope is that with this grant program, more Black birthing people are heard and supported and most of all, lives are saved.”
The mortality rate for pregnant non-Hispanic Black and Indigenous mothers while pregnant or during childbirth is three to four times higher than that of white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a result, Black women, in particular, have elected to use doulas more often. Holistic doula Djifa Richards has seen an increase in Black women seeking out her services in the last two years, Black Enterprise reported.
The Mama Glow Foundation has been on the front line for advancing birth equity, partnering with Carol’s Daughter with the goal of bringing more overall awareness to the nation’s Black Maternal Health Crisis and to championing doulas and birthing advocates.
“Birth is meant to be a joyful, transcendent, and empowering event,” Thomas said in a release. “Everyone deserves to have access to safe, affordable, respectful and dignified care throughout the perinatal continuum. Mama Glow doulas approach to care from a trauma-informed framework and can help to support families impacted by injustice and inequity, grounding them with tools for advocacy, healing, transformation and empowerment.”
Through Love Delivered, Price and Thomas are planning to use event activations, maternal health forums, webinars and access to resources to directly engage up to 10,000 advocates. The organization also plans to “raise awareness about Black maternal health amongst 100 Million people” by 2024.
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