
OUR STORY
SisterWeb’s Birth Journey
SisterWeb San Francisco Community Doula Network (SisterWeb) was created from a deep commitment and passion to address the dire pregnancy and birth-related healthcare inequities experienced by Black and Latine pregnant and birthing people. SisterWeb was founded as a community doula organization to address these inequities by offering community doula care at no cost to Black and Latine pregnant and birthing people in San Francisco through two different programs: Kindred Birth Companions and Semilla Sagrada.
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Founded in fall 2018, SisterWeb was born of the shared vision held by professional birth workers and educators from these same communities. SisterWeb’s vision is to center and uplift Black and Latine families in San Francisco in their reproductive journey to welcome their children with respect, dignity, joy, and pride, leading to thriving families and communities and increased birth equity and justice. SisterWeb works to dismantle racist health care systems, strengthen community resilience, and advance economic justice for birthing families and doulas in San Francisco. SisterWeb is a network of culturally congruent community doulas and birth workers who work to ensure pregnant people from these communities have access to fair and equitable doula care and that their community doulas receive the tools, skills, and mentorship to succeed in careers as professional birth workers. SisterWeb doulas work in cohorts, with 2-3 doulas supporting each client. All doulas are supported by expert doula mentors to enhance their professional development and provide guidance.

Vision
Black and Latine families in San Francisco are centered and uplifted in
their reproductive journey to welcome their children with respect, dignity, joy and pride, leading to thriving families and communities and increased birth equity and justice.

Mission
SisterWeb, a network of culturally congruent community doulas and birth workers from and for Black and Latine communities, works to dismantle racist health care systems, strengthen community resilience, and advance economic justice for birthing families and doulas in San Francisco.

Values
• Culturally congruent and community-centered care
• Economic justice and community-led power
• Respect and autonomy
• Community wisdom and lifelong learning

Our Features
Goal 1
Goal 2
SisterWeb nurtures a skilled workforce of Community Doulas who see birth work as a viable profession.
SisterWeb’s culturally congruent, holistic doula care supports Black and Latinx pregnant and birthing people in achieving their own birth goals.
Goal 3
Goal 4
SisterWeb engages in the national movement to eliminate structural racism in healthcare systems as a driver of birth inequities.
SisterWeb expands and strengthens its operational effectiveness and organizational sustainability.
Programs Offered by SisterWeb
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Kindred Birth Companions (KBC): SisterWeb’s Kindred Birth Companion Program was created by and for Black doulas working as community birth workers in San Francisco to support the Black family structure by empowering families to have safe, memorable, and joyous birthing experiences.
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Semilla Sagrada Compañerxs de Parto: Semilla Sagrada is a direct service program created by Latine doulas of different nationalities to support Spanish speaking and Latina/o/x families and birth workers in San Francisco.
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Workforce Development Program: SisterWeb’s Workforce Development Program provides staff with training opportunities in SisterWeb’s birth-related and professional core competencies. Professional development opportunities include: increasing knowledge and skills necessary for professional and personal growth through a range of academic, career, and birth worker learning opportunities and programs. Skilled doulas and midwives serve as mentors for SisterWeb’s doulas. The doulas have access to the mentors to review options in working with their clients prenatally, during a labor and birth, as well as postpartum. In addition, the mentors are available to support the doulas with birth work career development and skill building in the SisterWeb birth work core competencies.
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Champion Dyad Initiative: Co-founded by SisterWeb and Expecting Justice, the Champion Dyad Initiative is being implemented at four San Francisco hospital labor and delivery units and the SF Birth Center in which the vast majority of Black and Latine pregnant people give birth. The Champion Dyad Initiative fosters the support of one or two “champions” at each hospital who partner with a SisterWeb staff member to advance quality improvement to ensure that pregnant and birthing people of color receive fair and equitable treatment during their births and pregnancies.