The Volunteer Doula Program (VDP) has been in existence since 1996 with the vision of providing a doula for every person who wants one. The VDP has supported thousands of individuals during their pregnancy and trained over 500 doulas.
About the VDP
The Volunteer Doula Program (VDP) has been in existence since 1996 with the vision of providing a doula for every person who wants one. The VDP has supported thousands of individuals during their pregnancy and trained over 500 doulas.
What is a doula?
A Doula is a person from the community who is trained to give continuous support throughout labour and delivery, as well as in the weeks before and after birth. A volunteer doula won’t replace friends and family. A doula’s role is to help you make informed decisions during pregnancy, birth and post-partum. They can help you to explore the risks and benefits of different types of pain medications and interventions and support you fully in your choices.
Am I eligible?
As of December 1, 2018 our eligibility criteria in the Volunteer Doula Program has been revised to accommodate all low-income families living in the Halifax Regional Municipality with a combined household income of 42,000 or less. This change has been made to honour the increasing demand for doula services while ensuring we are meeting the needs of the community.
In order to be eligible, families will need to identify as low-income (household income of $42,000 or less). In addition, we will continue to give priority to:
Newcomers to Canada within the last 5 years
Single parents
Parents under 25 years old
Parents who have experienced incarceration
Parents who are full-time students
BIPOC parents
2SLGBTQ+ parents
This means that we will no longer have the second income category as a part of our eligibility criteria.
If your family does not fall under the VDP’s financial eligibility, please visit either www.dona.org or www.novascotiadoulas.org to explore other possibilities for doula services.
I’m eligible – what now?
If you are interested in having a Volunteer Doula and are eligible, please contact doula@chebuctofamilycentre.ca
We typically match clients with a VDP Doula around eight weeks before their due date, but will need to arrange an intake appointment with you prior to this time.
If you have less than eight weeks before your due date, please contact us and we will try our best to secure doula support for your birth.
Becoming a Doula
The Volunteer Doula Program has several upcoming trainings. This training session is held over several days. The training offered is through DONA International.
For more details on VDP training please contact doula@chebuctofamilycentre.ca
Upcoming Trainings:
- Postpartum Doula Training: May 18-19. 25, 2024
- Birth Doula Training: September 28-29, & October 5-6 2024
Wellness Within
We are proud to be partners with Wellness Within, a non-profit organization that provides support to criminalized women and trans individuals who are pregnant or parenting young children in Nova Scotia.
Current advocacy campaigns include banning solitary confinement of women, providing access to the internet and phone for incarcerated women to communicate with their families and to develop health literacy, ensuring dignity and respect for imprisoned trans individuals, and most importantly, developing alternatives to incarceration to advance reproductive justice and women’s rights to parent.
WW’s 50+ members include formerly incarcerated women, doulas, health care providers, lawyers, students, researchers, and mentors. WW volunteers have security clearance to provide support at the Nova Institution for Women Federal Prison, the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility Provincial Jail, and for women on bail and parole in the community. WW works in close partnership with Chebucto Family Centre, the Elizabeth Fry Societies of Cape Breton and Mainland Nova Scotia, the IWK Health Centre, and the Halifax Branch of the Women’s Legal Education Action Fund.