I have wanted to be a midwife since I found Ina May Gaskins book in 1993. Since then I have become a doula, a childbirth and sexual and reproductive health advocate, I have spent hours learning about perimenopause and menopause.

In light of how the world is shaping up for reproductive health I really want to now make certain that I gain the skills necessary to be more active in the community as I do think healthcare is going to become something that neighbors will be helping neighbors with.

Over the years I have corresponded with Elizabeth Davis, who has written several books and also founded the Heart & Hands Beginning and Advanced Intensives, which is the precursor to her distance learning midwifery program, National Midwifery Institute, Inc.. NMI is a MEAC accredited institution that provides a decentralized, direct entry midwifery program dedicated to the preservation of community-based midwifery training and education.

The barrier here is that because of the distance format, there is no financial aid available for any of her programs. The financial aid I do receive is for my Doctorate program at Wilmington University where I just received a Master’s certificate in Trauma and Resilience and now am back into my Doctorate of Social Science degree in Prevention Science.

I am planning on doing these programs at the same time because the needs these skills will allow me to address are going to start becoming more and more evident.

So I am asking for peoples supports for me to be able to start with the Heart & Hands Beginning Intensives which meets eight weekend days, starting in March. Tuition is $2195. There is about $100 in book and surgical supplies needed for session. Then Heart & Hands Advanced Intensives is in May and is $975. Once those are complete, then I can start with NMI in June.

So if you can spare some money and help me get this done, I would be very grateful. The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

Janis