Welcome to the Birth Keeper Training Zanzibar!

Our aim with this program is not only to prepare you for the essential supportive role of a birthkeeper (doula), but also to bring us together in reframing and reclaiming childbirth care practices that honor the full spectrum of the birthing experience.

For this 6 day in-person immersive training, we will explore what it means to be a birth companion, dedicated to supporting someone through one of life’s most transformative and vulnerable journeys. You will learn practical skills for guiding labor, including effective labor positions, advocating during birth, and providing essential postpartum support. We will also cover the use of nutrition & herbal remedies and their benefits during this period, helping you build a toolkit to support the physical and emotional well-being of those birthing.

This training goes beyond practical skills to include a critical understanding of childbirth within a broader cultural and historical context. Medicalized maternity systems often limit the spiritual aspects of childbirth, but we believe that honoring this dimension can powerfully support the psychological, emotional, and physical wellness of those birthing. By integrating traditional birth practices and rituals, we aim to reconnect with ancestral wisdom and cultivate a form of care that acknowledges the spiritual nature of birth.

Together, we will also examine the colonial legacies embedded within current childbirth and reproductive health practices and discuss how, through traditional birth practices and rituals, we can foster a collective resistance to decolonize birth and honor the fullness of this journey.