South Ward Healthy Beginnings

👋 Happy Holidays!

The Maasai community of Kenya and Tanzania greet each another by asking, “And how are the children?” It’s a reminder that the well-being of children reflects the well-being of the whole community — and that every decision we make should be measured by its impact on the youngest among us.

That question is at the core of the Burke Foundation’s work: How are New Jersey’s children? And what more can we do for them to be healthy, supported, and able to thrive? Families want the very best for their children, yet too often face financial strain and systemic barriers that limit the availability of care and resources they deserve.

👋 The first time I came across the concept of weathering — how the cumulative stress of racism ages the bodies and endangers the health of mothers and babies of color — I was stunned. It was a 2018 article in the New York Times Magazine by Linda Villarosa explaining something no medical chart could: why Black women, regardless of income or education, face some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the country.

At the Burke Foundation, one of our responses was to invest in community doulas who compassionately guide birthing families through a complex and often unwelcoming system. What we’ve seen from partnerships with community doulas is nothing short of extraordinary.

Tag: South Ward Healthy Beginnings

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