🌿✨ Discover the Magic of Midwifery in Ecuador: Last Chance for 2024 🇪🇨🤍

Dear Wombs of the World Community,

Mambo from Tanzania! Life has been moving incredibly fast, and I am grateful for a few minutes of your day to share some updates with you.

NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ecuador Trip: Join us from August 13 - 23. This may be your last opportunity to travel with us to Ecuador for a while. Have you heard the call? Now is the time to answer.

• 2025 Focus: All about educational growth and programming!

• The Anthropology of the Mother: Reflections from the field.

• Tanzania Program: Evolving into a month-long immersive service program.

• South Africa and Mexico: Dates dropping soon! Join the waitlist if you want to travel with WotW in 2025.

Join Us in Ecuador: August 13 - 23

We have a few precious spots left for our upcoming trip to Ecuador. This program is an extraordinary chance to immerse yourself in the rich traditions of indigenous midwifery and the sacred practices of honoring motherhood. TO NOTE: We are slowing down travel in 2025, so this may be the last opportunity to travel with us to Ecuador for a while (the November trip is currently full, so this August trip is essentially a last chance).

Why Ecuador?

Despite enduring centuries of colonial oppression and having their traditional practices criminalized, the midwives of northern Ecuador, like our dear friend Martha, have fought tirelessly for the sovereignty of their knowledge. It is an honor to learn from them, to sit in ceremony, and to explore the profound reverence they hold for both the mother and Mother Earth. Their land and mountains are filled with ancient stories and wisdom passed down through generations, and their ceremonies honor the elements and the Great Mystery.

Cultural Resonance

The echoes of their beliefs and struggles resonate deeply with histories worldwide, where women, mothers, and midwives have been demonized since the rise of the patriarchy. This shared history is a powerful draw for many of us. We all share roots and a hunger to reconnect with wisdom that has been nearly erased.

APPLY HERE

025: A Year of Educational Growth

As mentioned, things are growing, evolving, changing. As we look ahead to 2025, we are shifting our focus towards educational development! While travel will be less frequent, we are thrilled to announce several exciting initiatives:

• Guest Courses: We will be featuring guest teachers from around the world, sharing their expertise on various aspects of birthwork. Would you like to be a guest teacher? Join us!

• Full Spectrum Birthkeeper Training: We are developing a comprehensive training program that offers a unique global perspective, with contributions from powerful birthworkers around the world. This program aims to honor the full spectrum of birth experiences and the diverse ways we can support mothers and families.

Reflections from the Field

Recently, I have been reverting back to my roots in anthropology and sociology, consolidating all the amazing lessons I have learned from women, mothers, and systems around the world. I have the unique and incredible privilege to travel the world and constantly learn about how different cultures care for their mothers and families. I am regularly reminded how we humans have made all this up—all these social systems, beliefs, laws, spoken and unspoken customs, ways of viewing society, etc.—are all made up and differ from country to country, culture to culture. And in order to understand the health disparities of the world today, it is essential to zoom out and understand how we got here. If we understand the building blocks on which we stand, we can mindfully deconstruct to build anew.

Additional Developments

When we are not working in the field, we are getting a lot done behind the scenes. We just launched our Cultural Preparation Training, a mandatory online course for all our travelers to take. This course has been many moons in the making. It is essential that our travelers show up on these trips having done the reflective work needed to engage in these different spaces with open and curious minds. Not only does this training prepare our travelers for the birthwork and learning they will embark on, but it also teaches how to share space with fellow birth enthusiasts from around the world. There is as much to learn from our travelers joining us from diverse backgrounds as there is to learn from our hosts. YOU—the travelers—are the core of the magic that these trips offer.

Programs Growing and Changing

Our Tanzania program is about to get a big makeover. In 2025, we are stepping away from our 11-day programming and will focus more on month-long intensives. This feedback came from our participants who felt that just as they were getting in the groove, it was time to leave. For those eager to be of service, to support birth, and to deep dive into Tanzanian culture, our future programming is for you! We are working towards accreditation so that more students can travel with us and gain the hands-on experience and supervision their schools require. This is a very exciting development, but it also means that the next trip here in January may be the last of its kind.

Traveling in 2025

Despite slowing down and changing our offerings in Ecuador and Tanzania, we are adding South Africa and Mexico to our curriculum. As of now, we have one trip planned to SA (late February/early March 2025 - join the waitlist now to learn more very soon!!), and we hope to offer three trips to Mexico (dates and applications also dropping soon). It is exciting to grow our global network, to continue this magical experience of traveling with women who share this passion and desire to learn from wise teachers around the world, and to dive into the spirituality of childbirth!

Join Us

If you have felt the call to join us in Ecuador, now is the time. This may be one of the last opportunities to experience this transformative journey with us for a while.

Apply now and secure your spot for a life-changing adventure.

With gratitude and excitement for the future,

Charlotte & the WotW Team