Future Ancestors Sustainability Project

Set of rebozos, traditional birthing cloths for Indigenous communities in Central and South America.
Data snapshot of program - $180,000 in supporting community based birth workers; 48 participants across Washington, prioritizing N/S I-5 corridor and Eastern WA; $5000 per participant for relevant trainings, fees, supplies, and wages.

Supporting Future Ancestors

Community-based professionals working with families 0-3 are stewards in raising future ancestors who contribute to thriving individuals, families, and communities.

The Department of Health (DOH) committed funds to increasing representation of birth professionals for communities most impacted by negative perinatal health outcomes. Community-based care is one of the most effective health interventions for improving perinatal health outcomes. It is also demanding work and often under-resourced.

This stipend aimed to strengthen community-based perinatal health by equipping providers with needed resources and identifying on-going challenges and opportunities through better understanding their experiences and needs.

 

A group of 4 Pacific Islander women standing outside in front of lilies, smiling and pointing to their relative's pregnant stomach.

Photovoice

Stipend recipients participated in a photovoice project that we conducted alongside the project as an evaluative measure. Photovoice is a participatory visual qualitative research method (research that involves direct collaboration with those affected by an issue being studied for the purpose of action or change) that combines photography and narrative storytelling to capture individuals' lived experiences, particularly those from marginalized or underserved communities. The approach allows participants to visually document their environments and experiences, enabling them to share insights into social, political, and health-related issues (Johns Hopkins).

The photo on this page comes from the project—in the words of the recipient: “This photo captures four women who have each walked different paths and experienced unique journeys through life and pregnancy. Together, we came to share our stories, offer words of encouragement, and hold space for one another. It represents sisterhood, comfort, and the power of women supporting and uplifting each other. It reflects the heart of Mana Lani: women supporting women through every season of life.”

Next Steps

We are in the process of coding and analyzing data from the photovoice project and hope to share the findings with community and leadership in 2026.

This project was a part of the Maternal Health Innovation Program’s Community Based Perinatal Health Priority Area, a partnership with the Washington State Perinatal Collaborative. From this project, our priority area will recruit Future Ancestors participants to a Community Advisory Council to support with WSPC work and inform future projects and funding opportunities.

The larger goal of this priority area is to sup-port leadership and sustainability within the field and create more opportunities to share power and collaborate with the community experts to support thriving families in Washington State for our birthing people, and our youngest residents, our future ancestors.