BPUSA continues to provide support and partnership opportunities to groups who want to start a Birthing Project in their local community.
Previous Stories
Having served as a Program manager, Board member and Advisor to Birthing Project, USA (BPUSA) , I am struck by how this organization encourages participants to immerse themselves in this international Sisterhood. BPUSA is focused on improving birth outcomes, as well as life skills and experiences of women of color. We build independent local branches while building community in BPUSA. We create the sense that everyone – Board Members, Advisors, Volunteers, Managers and Menteess – are crucial to the success of the organization.
Birthing Project USA has a legacy of 30+ years supporting women to positively impact their own maternal health and the maternal health and economic development of their communities. Many of these women have gone on to lead their own MCH organizations and provide much needed services. Birthing Project USA has spread its impact worldwide (from Mississippi to Malawi!) and is still going strong. I'm glad to be a supporter.
My community has been incredibly impacted by the work of the Birthing Project USA! So many families in my in community have benefited from the incredible advocacy work and resources that BPUSA offers from parenting classes to maternity support to resource allocation.
My pregnancy and birthing experience were nothing short of wonderful! I could not have done it without the Birthing Project and the amazing people who dedicate their time to this life changing work!
This long standing excellent organization is dedicated to maternal and newborn health, and to babies of color reaching their full potential. We have partnered with them providing our Clean Birth Kit in a Purse , for an infection free childbirth, and will continue to support their much needed services,education, and outreach.
The ayzh Team
I've been involved in just about every way with this non-profit, mostly as a volunteer but also benefiting from all of the support I got during my pregnancies. The organization is made up of people with huge hearts and the know-how to get things done in communities all over the world. What I love is that anyone can be involved, in any way that capitalizes on their interests and gifts, skills, talents. There's a place for you and you will always feel like no matter how much you're giving, you're receiving so much more.
The Birthing Project is an organization that helps babies by connecting mothers with education and support through sisterhood. They go beyond a one-dimensional view of supporting mothers and babies by confronting critical factors such as race, socio-economic status, country, culture and family structure. Addressing these concept closes the gap and ends disparities in wellness and development for babies around the world.
The Birthing Project USA is among the most important non-profit organizations I support, and its importance has grown exponentially in an era when government programs that aid expectant mothers, particularly women of color, are under assault, or cut back or eliminated. The very existence of this program is a testament to caring, to hope, and a practical response to neglect. This is not just about these mothers who need this care. It is about the future for us all.
I consider Birthing Project USA a great nonprofit organization because it is and has been addressing the critical social justice issue of the alarming infant mortality for women of color in the USA and across the globe. I appreciate the grassroots and community focused foundation of BPUSA as well as te unique social support they provide to mothers and their babies and communities.
I have been volunteering for Birthing Project USA, BPUSA, for almost 2 years and became a Board Member earlier this year. I decided to become Involved with BPUSA because rarely, if ever, have I witnessed an organization that is so dedicated and true to their mission. Not only is the work of BPUSA improving birth outcomes with their unique sister-friend social support model being replicated all over the globe, but they are also creating authentic community and forging new connections and lifelong friendships between women. I am consistently inspired by the caring and loving spirit that permeates every aspect of the organization, as well as every person involved in BPUSA. As a social worker, MSW, with over thirty years experience, an engaged citizen, and a seasoned board member who has worked with a variety of non-profits, I consider it a deep honor to be involved with the Birthing Project USA.
I have had a long transforming history with the Birthing Project USA. In 2002, I was in the middle of training for my career, when I discovered that I was going to be a mom for the first time. Those first moments were incredibly scary--I was far from home with no (biological) familiar support; I didn't know if this pregnancy would mean the end of my career as I envisioned it; I didn't exactly have the means to even support the pregnancy either.
I had so many mixed emotions, questions, and just needed some guidance. I met this wonderful, inspiring woman, Mama Katt (we call her), the founder of BPUSA, who reminded me that it was okay to be happy in and enjoy my pregnancy. She reminded me that I had a community (really family) of women, which consisted of herself and SisterFriends, who were there to love on me and support me throughout my pregnancy and my journey of motherhood. She reassured me that they would be right by my side to support me. And they were! That love and support did wonders for me and is what inspired me to give back to women who were and are just like me.
In time, I became a donor. Then, I became an Ambassador for BPUSA's safe birth kits. These kits were designed to help women (all over the world) have access to clean supplies to have healthy deliveries. Now, my hope is take on a new role by starting a branch of the Birthing Project USA in my community of the South Bronx, NY and pour into the women of my community as the women of BPUSA have poured love and support into me.
My daughter, Delilah Christina, is almost 15 years old . She is the most intelligent, beautiful, amazing, fierce, diva-licious, autistic young lady that I know. And I truly don't know if we would have made it this far without the love and support of my SisterFriends and BPUSA. It is by far the best nonprofit, not just in these parts but around the world.
Melissa Barber
The Birthing Project is an amazing organization that I have been a part of for many years. The work that is being done at kitchen tables, in health departments and clinics around the world is what is needing to improve birth outcomes among women of color. We love this work and the birthing project has perfected the delivery of support.
I had the pleasure of meeting some of the most wonderful and dynamic group of empowering individuals called the Birthing Project USA this month in Ann Arbor MI. The members of The Birthing Project USA are insightful and driven to make a positive change in Women's health and birthing experience all over the world.
Birthing Project USA is an awesome organization which began over twenty-five years ago as a grassroots organization by ten women and one man who truly wanted to make a difference in the lives of families from African decent. The Birthing Project is a true example of the power a few dedicated volunteers can have. Under the direction of founder Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, affectionately known as Mama Katt to those involved with the program, this once small group has come to support and empower families on a global scale. The beauty of the birthing project is that each individual involved truly wants to improve upon our future starting one baby at a time.
I always look forward to the yearly conference/meeting. It is an amazing time to be able to spend with women and men from everywhere with one common goal in mind.
Lastly I love the concept of Safe Birth Kits, which are only $5.
Birthing Project USA is the perfert example of grass roots organizations. We provide cost effective practical social care and caring to pregnant women, families and communities both locally and globally. No other organization I know will come to the house and see "how you're doing". Birthing Project is the perferct fit for African American culture. A big thank you to Kathryn Hall-Trujillo for the vision that has open my eyes to the possibilities of volunteering.
Alice Rogers-Johnson
Southeast Arkansas
Birthing Project USA is an amazing organization. It helps to improve the lives of women children and families all over the world. Their national, annual conference brings women from all different walks of life together to share, bond, celebrate successful birth outcomes and to make improvements to the work being done for the next year.
The Birthing Project USA which is a volunteer effort that utilizes the strengths of the community to encourage better birth outcomes.
We are trying to keep more babies alive and healthy here in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. This is our strategy! We are gonna support our moms & babies and be there when they need us!
Minnesota's pre-term birth rate has grown worse. The change isn't drastic; the rate climbed just three-tenths of a percent last year, from 9.9 percent in 2011 to 10.2 percent in 2012. Among Minnesota's American Indians, 13 percent of babies are born prematurely, and 12.7 percent of black infants are, compared to 9.4 percent for whites.
Our work is to change this with using the Birthing Project USA model!!
My history with BPUSA began in 2007 as a volunteer community-based doula. I had the opportunity to serve women in my community who exhibited great risks for infant mortality due to their environment, lack of support during their prenatal period, & limited access to navigate resources in the community. After assisting more than 40 families toward healthy birth outcomes, I was saddened by the prospect of giving it all up when our local program lost its funding & we had to close our doors. As I continued to serve the community, requests for the birthing project services were continually being presented to me; so I inquired about continuing the program in my local community. I wanted to continue to volunteer my services to expand the legacy that was established by BPUSA. To date, my local community has been honored with 2 distinct projects, served over 300 families toward healthy birth outcomes & continue to provide programming in a unique way that garners proven results. It is my pleasure to volunteer my time & effort to serve in the capacity that I love: empowering & educating families to make healthy, evidence-based consent to birth with dignity, pride & respect. Thank you BPUSA for establishing the template to foster my calling.
The Birthing Project USA is an excellent organization.I have personally witnuess life changing positive birth outcomes.A new mother stated"Thank you so much for your support.I am now breastfeeding my baby.
Birthing Project USA is a remarkable organization that is saving the lives of babies globally. The work is done with a genuine love for the mothers and babies encountered. For 25 years, the BPUSA has been doing the work necessary to help reduce infant mortality rates.
I am Project Manager for an affiliate project of BPusa in Sacramento, California. This national and international effort has supported no less than 13,000 at risk babies. The support from the umbrella organization and leadership is phenomenal. We are encouraged to find high caliber volunteers to meet needs of babies at highest risk of infant mortality and morbidity in a way that makes sense for the individual community. In Sacramento we have a goal of lowering rates and preventing the children of pregnant teens in foster care from ending up in the system. BPusa has given us the tools to find little sisters, match them with sister-friend volunteers. As a result we have healthy, full term babies born into our project. Without our parent organization we would have a difficult time meeting our goals. But our success doesn't end at US borders. BPusa supports babies in 9 countries who face health care inequities to the tune of maternal deaths being an expected outcome. Thanks to the projects, safe birth kits are distributed preventing maternal and infant deaths in rural communities around the world.
This organization is truly revolutionary. By building on the assets of the African-American community, and providing the kind of personalized, caring connections that at-risk moms and babies need to overcome the personal and social barriers to healthy pregnancies, safe births, and secure and stable families, they are truly making a difference where many social and medical services cannot despite their best efforts and intentions. By providing a trained, caring volunteer "Sister-friend" who can support the new mama with whatever she needs, help her make the best use of the services available to her, and to believe in herself and her right to a healthy life and family, the Birthing Project is bringing longstanding African values to a modern American problem that we have not been able to fix otherwise- the disproportionate prematurity and deaths of moms and babies of African descent. The founder Kathryn Hall-Trujillo is recognized nationally and globally for her pioneering work. You can help her found a Birthing Project resource center so that this project can be replicated more broadly. Now in over 100 communities worldwide and counting 13,000 babies born into the arms of empowered mamas, its success is unquestioned. Help spread the love to more at risk babies and mamas today, you can make a real difference. Donations made before 12/27 will help qualify us reach a crucial fundraising goal for 2012 that will qualify us for further foundation funding in 2013.
Review from JustGive