EARLY CHILDHOOD PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
The well-being of young children is inextricably connected to the well-being of the adults who care for them.

When the adults thrive, the children they nurture can also thrive. The surgeon general warns that the well-being of parents and caregivers is a critical and underappreciated public health priority. This warning is even more dire for Black mothers.

The foundation supports several partners focused on the well-being of families and practitioners. One such partner, Mamatoto Village, stands as a vital source of empowerment, specifically for Black women. Driven by a mission to create accessible pathways in maternal health careers and provide culturally resonant perinatal support, they meet the urgent needs of expectant mothers while fostering a new generation of skilled, compassionate birth workers who understand the unique experiences of the communities they serve.

Mamatoto Village’s commitment is evident in their remarkable impact this year, maintaining a 100% maternal survival rate — no small feat in a nation grappling with racial disparities in maternal and child health. With each mother they support, Mamatoto Village upholds the belief that quality maternal care should be a right, not a privilege, ensuring that each woman receives the care and attention she deserves.

Over the past year, Mamatoto Village also celebrated the graduation of 56 trainees from their Community Birth Worker training, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and cultural competencies needed to serve as birth workers and doulas under Maryland Medicaid. The foundation’s support includes dollars that contribute to full and partial training scholarships to cover these trainees’ learning materials, training bags, and books. Each of these women, 100% of whom identified as African American or Black, completed their training not only with expertise in reproductive care but also with a deeply rooted commitment to their community’s well-being.

Central to Mamatoto Village’s training efforts is the Mamatoto Village Academy, a professional development platform that offers hybrid and asynchronous courses tailored for perinatal health experts from diverse backgrounds. Recognized by the Maryland Medicaid Administration and the District of Columbia Department of Health as a certified program, the academy has prepared nearly all its trainees (97.6%) to feel knowledgeable and confident in their roles as maternal health providers.

From every service provided to each career pathway created, Mamatoto Village champions the strength and resilience of Black women, reminding us of the profound difference culturally responsive care can make.