You Can Help... Yes, I want to be a conductor on The Underground Railroad for New Life. 

I would like to join or start a Birthing Project in my city. Please send additional information.

 Here is my tax deductible donation of $__________ to help keep “The Underground Railroad” on track. Name:_________________________Address: ______________________ City: ______________State:______Zip:________ E-mail Address_______________________ Phone Number: ________________ Please make checks payable and mail to:

Birthing Project USA 2270-D Wyoming Blvd NE Suite 331 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112 916-284-6330 [email protected] contribute online at www.birthingprojectusa.org

SOCIAL BUSINESS VENTURE:

BIRTHING PROJECT PIN

Our beautiful Collector’s Edition Birthing Project USA pin, designed by Beverly Rhine, is our incentive for you to donate a minimum of $50.00. We are serious about generating revenue to save our babies.

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Birthing Project USA 2270-D Wyoming Blvd NE Suite 331 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112 916-284-6330 [email protected] www.birthingprojectusa.org

ONORS IN

2012

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ONORS IN

2012

Dear Friends, 2012 was our year of opportunity, challenge and growth that came when we got a chance to walk our talk, manifest our dreams and be the organization we say we are! Our primary challenge was to continue to support and assist our ongoing local projects as we continued to respond to requests from women around the world who wanted to replicate our model in their communities. And, we did: The Arkansas Footsteps to Freedom Birthing Project became the 100th Stop on the Underground Railroad for New Life. They roared in like the mama warriors they are…met their goals, hosted a baby shower with over 100 guests to celebrate their babies and families and brought the Annual Harriet Tubman Awards Luncheon attendees to tears with the presentation of their Underground Railroad quilt. Our SisterFriend Safe Birth kit Campaign sponsored 2500 safe birth kits to Haiti, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda and Honduras and was nominated for A Classy Award! Our Circle of Friends and Allies expanded as we were invited to participate in global events, such as the Giving Women Conference (Geneva), UBS Philanthropy Forum (Zurich) and the Women’s Economic Forum (Paris). So, as I look back, as difficult as it was…because every day we had to show up and bring more than 100%...and we were forced to operate way beyond our comfort zones…and extend friendship to partners through Translation Plus… we are still here! With much joy,

The Dreams of Mama O This report is dedicated to Olayeela Daste (Mama O), a parenting educator and founding mother of the New Orleans Rainbow Babies Birthing Project because she represents the spirit and the innovative system change that gets to the heart of what has to be done to improve birth outcomes for families of African descent.

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OARD

OF

DIRECTORS

At our 2012 strategic planning meeting, Mama O stood up and bore witness… called forth the best in all of us…to voice our collective vision. She challenged us to imagine people coming together in small circles and sharing their dreams for our babies...including elders and professionals and Generation Y and teens and new moms and dads to be a part of the planning and the implementation of a world where babies are born as healthy as possible to parents who are prepared to nurture and care for them. Can you imagine those circles coming together until we speak together…like New Orleans Jazz…5 circles in 10 cities…10 circles in 10 cities…10 circles in 100 cities…until we have hearts on fire…and brains in pursuit? Can you imagine how this will feel as we watch the documentaries and view the photographs of person after person standing up and speaking their truth… just the way Mama O did it…what she saw and who she saw and how she saw it coming together to create a world that welcomes and support our babies? This is the process we began in 1988 and are nurturing it as it becomes global.

S We invite you to join us in this venture to imagine and help build a Maternal, Child and Family Care System that works…starting with the beginning of life.

TOPS ON THE U.S. PROJECTS: Atlanta, GA Anguilla, MS Augusta, GA Baltimore, MD Brooklyn, NY Cleveland, OH Forth Worth, TX Indianapolis, IN Jacksonville, FL Lake Village, AR Los Angeles, CA Little Rock, AR Memphis, TN

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Nashville, TN New Orleans, LA Orlando, FL Pasadena, CA Phoenix, AZ Racine, WI Sacramento, CA Seattle, WA Tupelo, MS INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS: Ciriboya, Honduras Malawi, Africa Ghana, Africa Nigeria, Africa Uganda, Africa

From Mississippi to Malawi, our dreams become reality...

The Anguilla Academy of Dreams Birthing Project provides SisterFriend support , education and economic development encouragement and options for young mothers.

Visit www.birthingprojectusa.org/safebirthkits.html

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PROJECT USA: INVESTING IN WOMEN AND BABIES IRTHING

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COLOR

The Birthing Project, which began more than twenty years ago, was developed as a model to reduce infant mortality by using volunteers to assure pregnant teens and women identified, accessed, understood and complied with prenatal care. The project provides direct services, education of volunteers and feedback to providers and policy makers who plan for and serve our community.

A Scalable Model: We are currently in the fourth year of a 5-Year plan to institutionalize Birthing Project USA as a national resource center to improve birth outcomes for AfricanAmerican and other women at risk of poor birth outcomes. U.S. — We are targeting New Orleans, Louisiana and the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta to support new projects because of their extremely high rates of Infant Mortality and the enthusiasm with which we have been embraced in these communities.

The mission of Birthing Project USA is to improve the birth outcomes of women of color. Addressing Infant Mortality:

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African-American women have a higher rate of Infant Mortality than any other ethnicity in the U.S.

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African-American babies are two and a half times more likely to die before their first birthday than any other infants.

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The Birthing Project is the only national, grassroots community-based African -American maternal and child health organization in the U.S.

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During the last 24 years, over 13,000 babies have been born into 100 Birthing Project programs.

The African American community is disheartened by the deaths of our babies and the circumstances in which they are born. People have bombarded us from across the country wanting to help and requesting our assistance in establishing volunteer projects in their own communities. Our programs have proven successful because of this community commitment and dedication to solving the root causes of infant mortality. They provide extended family in each community for women who usually do not have the guidance and support to access critical services and resources by cultivating volunteers who understand the issues well enough to provide social support to and speak on behalf of their sisters. Program Innovation:: Birthing Project USA has established a National Resource Center to include: Information Hot-line— Maintain a dedicated number for prospective volunteers and pregnant women seeking assistance Model Replication— Provide information, training and support to potential and the current Birthing Projects that exist in more than 30 communities across the U.S., Latin America, and Africa. Integrated Communications — Provide coordination through newsletters and meetings. Community Resources— Projects join or establish collaborative efforts and develop long term action plans, such as the appropriate administration, funding resources and partnerships. Research—Collect and analyze data and host a collaborative institute to share information.

International Projects — Honduras: We provided assistance in developing the first health care system for the Garifuna community (“the forgotten people”) including continuing education, medicine and supplies to traditional midwives. There are also projects in Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda.

Community Impact: To date, over 13,000 babies have been born into 100 Birthing Project communities in 7 countries. Based on our success, we anticipate that by the end of 2013: • An additional 1000 pregnant teens and women will have received services from Birthing Project volunteers in accessing prenatal care and other necessary resources. • 80% of the babies born into the project will be immunized by their first birthday.

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30 new on-going volunteer projects will be operational. A training institute will be held to train a minimum of ten new projects and information will be shared with project representatives from 7 countries. A national database documenting risk factors, intervention and birth outcomes of a cross-section of African-American teens and women will be established.

Current Support: Birthing Project USA is primarily funded by foundation grants, charitable donations and income earned through our social business venture securing Safe Birth Kits for women in our projects in Africa and Central America. Funding Opportunity: We are now seeking additional funding to help us sustain our National Resource Center. We invite you to join us in this effort to help ourselves as dedicated women and men who will do whatever is necessary to offer a mother and her baby a healthy birth and first year of life. Thank you for your interest in Birthing Project USA. We will be pleased to submit additional information at your request. Please do not hesitate to contact us: Kathryn Hall-Trujillo, MPH, Ashoka Fellow, Founder & Executive Director 2270 D Wyoming Blvd NE, Suite 331, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112 [email protected] www.birthingprojectusa.org