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 Training: Stay tuned for upcoming trainings in 2025
- Postpartum Doula Training
- Birth Doula Training