Ujima Maternity Network, Inc. is an advocate for building birth workers in the communities they already reside in. Being supported while supporting is truly a necessary treasure as a birth worker.  When our Co-Founder and Executive Director Nicolle Fletcher became a certified doula and decided to launch her own business, mentorship and coaching was not available to her, even after she sought it out. Ujima Maternity Network, Inc. seeks to be the answer for other aspiring and active Black women birth workers. Support for the supporter!  

Our mission is to address the maternal health crisis that families of color face in Arkansas during the childbearing years. Knowing how imperative our work is to improving better birth outcomes, propels us to do our part.

​Arkansas has 75 counties and only 40 birthing hospitals. Between 2009 - 2014, Nicolle Fletcher was the only Black doula serving Central Arkansas. Although that number has increased in Central Arkansas, there is still a significant disparity in rural areas of the state.  One of the ultimate aims of Ujima Maternity Network, Inc. is to actively increase the number of birth workers of color. This is a necessary step to improve maternal health and the birth experiences of women of color. 

Ujima Maternity Network, Inc. provides coaching through training workshops and one- on-one consultations to launch you into your amazing doula career. We are currently taking applications for future change agents that are ready to help do the work of saving our women and babies. Please contact Nicolle Fletcher, to start your journey as a professional Doula. We need each other! We are here for it. 

    I am looking for a doula! 

Our Next Training Cohort will begin in late Spring 2024 

​Apply today! 

Ujima Path to Doula
​Training and Certification

6 month                                     $1,500.00

6 month doula training that concludes with birth or postpartum doula certification.  

Our training for the certification program includes…
-2 day In Person Weekend Workshop Training
-Monthly Virtual training cohorts (peer review, support, community)
-Monthly one on one Mentorship
-5 Books to enhance birth and postpartum knowledge. 
 Each Applicant is required to …
-Participate in the above 
-Read and write a book report on from the books provided
-Attend in person 1 5 week childbirth education series 
-Write a Research Paper
-Attend/Volunteer and assist with 5 Ujima Maternity Network, Inc. official Maternal Care Community Outreach events (held on the 2nd Saturday of every month) 
-Attend 6 - 10 prenatal appointments
-Attend 3 - 5 births with a certified doula and receive written feedback on the provided forms
-Attend 3 -5 postpartum appointments
-Plan and execute an official Maternal Care Community Outreach in one of our targeted communities.
Email Ujima at ujimamaternity@gmail.com to request an application for 2024!  
​Memo: Doula Training 2024 Application

Ujima Maternity Network, Inc.
​Expands Doula Support throughout the state of Arkansas

Central Arkansas now has a wide variety of Black doulas to serve families birthing in this area.  However, when we look at the overall statistics of maternal and infant outcomes throughout the state of Arkansas we still find increased disparities.  
​
According to the Rural Profile of Arkansas 2019 Report, 41% of Arkansans live in rural areas. Most of the rural areas are deemed as medically underserved, with very limited physicians and high infant mortality rates. The infant mortality rate for Black babies is 2xs higher than other races.
Arkansas's Black households need Black doulas and birth workers from these underserved counties and communities to help improve maternal and birth outcomes. 

To address this dire need, Ujima has established a training program for Black women in underserved counties and communities of Arkansas to become trained doulas. Our professionally developed doula training program consists of sessions to equip, with practices, policies and hands on coaching.

We have identified Chico, Crittenden, Jefferson, Lee and Phillips counties as having over 50% Black population as well as maternal care desert, low or poor access areas of Arkansas. We are aiming to train doulas in those counties to improve maternal and infant outcomes in the state. 

contact us to come to your city
​and train up doulas! 

Let us help with the skills and education to keep Black families surviving and thriving!

Chico County, Lee County, Phillips County, Crittendon County, & Jefferson County