Sastipen Talí (Salud y Libertad!)! My name is Melissa Herrera and I am a Mexican-Romani birth-work student and artist from the El Paso/Juarez geopolitical border.

Barakah’s Womb has selected me to be part of the 2025 Summer cohort for Womb 101 Foundational Womb Healing from a Muslim perspective on a full scholarship to cover the "…training course for [womb bearers] who wish to learn the foundations of traditional womb healing methods to support themselves and others.”

During the 5 day course we will focus on things including but not limited to menstruation, hormones, nutrition, herbal care, health regarding teens and mothers, the history of the womb from a muslim perspective , the sacredness of femininity, and autonomy.

This program will take place in the Alpujarras mountains in the city of Azzahara in Andalucia, Spain. Immediately following the training course, I plan to travel through Andalusia to reconnect to my Romani roots in order to supplement my studies from the program and also heal intergenerational trauma that has fueled my medical disabilities -- but i need help getting to Spain from the U.S. due to financial limitations.

Those that know me understand how significant and life altering this opportunity is for me. Not just due to the amount of blood, sweat and tears i have dedicated for years to researching and reconnecting to my heritage that was attempted to be erased from my family through varying acts of genocide-- but also because of the amount of devotion i have for decentralized community centered work and care.

This financial support will contribute to my certifications and training in order to support womb bearing people (women and LGBTQIAs+ and their families) within and outside the diaspora. I consider this work (birth-work) to be the center of real change in the world, but also a continuation of my traditional role within my heritage and tribe.

As a Romani person, it is hard for me to secure these types of opportunities because we face education, employment, healthcare, and housing discrimination.

Your contributions will literally aid me in my efforts to simultaneously preserve my role within my ancestral lineage and community, and also secure financial independence as a person with multiple physical disabilities.

For more updates, you can follow me on instagram (@sanaflorecitadelalma) or if you're interested in the program yourself, you can follow Barakah's Womb on instagram (@barakahswomb)