We need more Black/Latinx/Indigenous/AAPI/Mixed race midwives. To help, the BIPOC Student Midwife Fund was formed.
The purpose of our program is to decrease the financial and educational barriers for future BIPOC midwives. Our vision is to create a world where BIPOC midwives are supported through their education with a mentality of abundance and support, creating a system of healthcare that is collaborative instead of competitive. The midwives who benefit from this support will have more to give to their clients, both in terms of energy, resources, and knowledge. This is one path to healing BIPOC communities that have experienced discrimination and poor health outcomes for generations.
Research shows that midwifery care is a key component to the reduction of maternal and neonatal health disparities that disproportionately affect BIPOC birthing people and families, and yet we do not have enough BIPOC midwives to provide adequate culturally congruent care. This project will provide funds, access to skills and knowledge, and build community for BIPOC folks in the Bay Area on their way to becoming a midwife and starting a practice.
Please make a tax deductible DONATION today.
Visit our website at bipocstudentmidwives.com to learn more, apply, and stay in touch! Follow us on our Instagram page and please share our events!
Students estimating (fake) blood and practicing placing IVs at Student Skills days.
BIPOC Student Apprenticeship Fund
This portion of the fund goes directly to supporting BIPOC student midwives who are in an apprenticeship program. They will need money for tuition for school, gas, childcare, and basic needs as doing birth work and being on-call does not allow students to easily hold a second job to pay the bills. Our goal is that the fund will support 5-10 apprentices per year in the Bay Area. A pilot program will be starting in 2024.
Student Skills Share Program
Our project hosts a monthly Student Skills program where Bay Area students can learn hands-on midwifery skills from community midwives, share resources, and build connections. Students at any skill level are welcome to join the group and there is no fee to participate. This is open to all students because we all must build community together as we learn to practice as partners and colleagues in the future.
These gatherings are a time where best practices and experiences are shared between a rotating group of midwives and students. Currently this is the largest gathering of Bay Area students. In 2023 we serves around 124 students, 79% of whom identified as BIPOC. These connections and skill shares are especially important for BIPOC student midwives who may have more barriers to shared community skills and fewer opportunities to connect with BIPOC students and midwives because of the overrepresentation of non-BIPOC midwives in the area.
New BIPOC Midwives Support Program
After graduating from a midwifery program and passing the licensing exam a midwife is not yet ready to start their own practice. They must consider the cost of buying equipment, getting a business license and medical number, maintaining a website and possibly social media accounts for marketing, etc. This program will provide a start up package in the form of mentorship and funding for new BIPOC midwives in the Bay Area.
Ongoing Cultural Competency Training for Non-BIPOC Midwives
Because there is currently an overrepresentation of non-BIPOC midwives practicing in the Bay Area, some of them will be preceptors for BIPOC students. It is important to offer cultural competency training to these midwives to reduce the harm that may occur during an apprenticeship relationship.
Workshops, Wellness Retreats, And More!
Please email bipocstudentmidwives@gmail.com to be added to our listserve where you will get the latest updates on our programs.
The BIPOC Student Midwives Fund is a fiscally sponsored program of Movement Strategy Center.