Sankofa Birth Fund

Everyone deserves a midwife and your gift makes all the difference!  

In this time of global pandemic and financial crisis, the need for access to out-of-hospital midwifery care is greater than ever. Since the start of COVID-19, Sankofa Birth & Women’s Care has and continues to receive an influx of new home birth inquiries. We have worked tirelessly to accommodate as many families as possible and have adapted new models of care that include tele-health visits, new collaborations, additional staff, and our very own community birth house.  

COVID-19 has also exacerbated existing fears of black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC) that they will not be listened to and may die while giving birth in a hospital. There are also fears of contracting Coronavirus and being separated from their babies. While these fears may seem unwarranted to some, they are founded upon actual data. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Medical Association, black women are 3-6 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as their white counterparts. Some have turned to free-birthing or birthing alone, without a qualified heath care provider, because they cannot access or cannot afford a home birth midwife.  This is unacceptable.

Our clients truly value the services we provide for the community. They often express how their homebirth left them satisfied and empowered. We feel that every birthing person should have access to this type of care and that money should not be a barrier between them and a homebirth.

The Sankofa Birth Fund will help increase access to out-of-hospital birth options, by supplementing the cost of midwifery care for those who are facing financial difficulties.  Funds may also be used to compensate doulas who assist clients of our Open Access Clinic who will birth at local hospitals.

We ask that you make midwifery care a possibility for a family that otherwise couldn’t afford it by making a one-time gift or becoming a monthly donor to sustain Sankofa’s impact on advocacy and birth equity in Durham and surrounding areas.

Donations are Tax Deductible and can be made via the Donate Now button below or if you prefer to send a check or money order, make your check/money order payable to “Sankofa Birth Foundation Inc” and send to:

Sankofa Birth Foundation Inc
1412 Hudson Ave.
Durham, NC 27705

Applications to be a sustaining member are available by contacting our office via email.