THE LEGACY OF LOVE DOULAS
“Healthy, informed and conscious new beginnings have solid, positive, long-term impacts on the society.”
What is Legacy of Love Doulas’? / IN SHORT
A free nationwide doula service for single mothers, low- and no-income families, refugees and sex workers in The Netherlands and run by the Community Involvement -program of the m/other voices foundation. We also offer the possibility of a sponsorship for women within the refugee communities to receive professional doula training so that they in turn can work and offer informed support to other women within their direct communities who share the same language, cultural background and traditions. Besides this we also aim to build up a small fund from which to pay out directly, small, one-off-costs such as for example a taxi fee to the hospital for the labouring woman and other small scale costs.
Mission & Vision: Our mission is to build a future where every mother and mother-to- be in the Netherlands is able to give birth while receiving sufficient (professional) emotional support, making her feel content and empowered by the birth of her child, thus creating the best possible beginning for herself, her baby and the new family. The Legacy of Love Doulas vision is a future where no woman in The Netherlands has to give birth alone, regardless of their financial-, class-, marital- or citizenship status. Through awareness raising, collaboration with other women’s health organisations, training community doulas and providing birth support to mothers, the Legacy of Love Doula’s wants to build a society where human support alongside medical care in childbirth is seen as a basic human right and a responsibility of the society at large, rather than as an individual luxury. Legacy of Love Doulas aims to do this by providing trained, experienced, professional and certified doulas for women lacking financial resources and social support structures to pay for the services of a professional doula. Offering continuous support and guidance on a practical, physiological and psychosocial level throughout the birthing process, the Legacy of Love Doulas help women to become mothers with dignity, confidence and trust. By supporting women through childbirth, Legacy of Love Doulas can prevent feelings of failure (due to lack of information about the proces), loneliness, isolation and suffering during childbirth and after, as well as help to prevent or minimise chances of (postnatal) depression. By working to lessen these feelings and chances of problems with bonding, Legacy of Love Doulas aim to build healthy and well bonded families.
Healthy Birth, Healthy Society, Healthy World!
Who are the Legacy of Love Doulas?
The initiative consists of volunteer doulas, both trainees and certified doulas willing to donate their time for those lacking the financial resources and social support structures to pay for the services of a professional doula at this point of their life. Please see here to find your Legacy of Love Doula.
Our trainee doulas come from NBvD recognised courses of 'Opleiding tot Doula' in Utrecht, JJ Doula Training in Amsterdam and Doula Opleiding Nederland in B.L.O.E.I, Rotterdam. Throughout the training each doula undertakes the supporting role for at least three to four birthing women/couples in addition to several observational births in both the medical and home/birthing settings. Doula trainees have continuous access to qualified and certified mentors throughout their work experience period and during the births. Our certified doulas are all members of the NBvD.
How do I find a Legacy of Love Doula?
Please see here.
How to come into contact with a Legacy of Love Doula?
Please write to us at info@mothervoices.org or write directly to the LoLD project manager weronika@mothervoices.org. You can also contact one of the doulas directly for any doula and maternal care related questions.
How to qualify for a Legacy of Love Doula?
Please contact as directly to discuss each individual situation.
Partnerships
The Legacy of Love is partnered with:
NBvD: De Nederlandse Beroepsvereniging voor Doula's
JJ Doula Training
Doula Opleiding Nederland in B.L.O.E.I
Opleiding tot Doula
We also have connections with individual translators and legal aids to whom we can turn to for help.
Funding & Donations
Currently The Legacy of Love Doulas is running on the steam of passionate and committed mothers and doulas. At the moment there is no structural funding in place and any donation made to the Legacy of Love doulas will be spent towards the travel and others costs of doulas who give their time, love and expertise to women bringing forth life. You can make a donation to The Legacy of Love Doulas through our donations-button below.
What is the m/other voices foundation?
m/other voices foundation is a non-profit organisation created for the purposes of initiating, supporting, doing, promoting, raising awareness and giving visibility to maternal thinking, -theory and -research within the arts, culture, philosophy and the society at large, as well as to increase the participation of mothers in the production of art, culture and theory. The foundation undertakes activities to further the cause of mothers, and others engaged in maternal labour, as thinkers and as producers of knowledge, through activities including, but not restricted to, to the organisation of reading groups, field trips, exhibitions and publications, community involvement groups, dialogue, seminars and conferences and the building and maintenance of local and international communities and networks between mother artists, researchers and others interested in engaging in the doing of maternal theory. See here to read the mission statement in Dutch.
TO FIND YOUR LEGACY OF LOVE DOULA