About this Fund
Mission
Our mission is to nurture a regional culture through education and advocacy that supports, cares for, and empowers women during the critical transition of birth and parenthood.
We aim to increase community connectivity around birth and early parenting to ensure new moms and families are supported, both physically and emotionally, during one of life’s most important transitions.
Vision
Our vision is that all women and families feel fully supported and are empowered during pregnancy, birth and in caring for their children.
How We Started...
El Jardín was founded by El Paso Baby Café mothers who previously organized events for new moms and families under the name “Women’s Café” beginning in the summer of 2013. The co-founders of Women’s Café, and subsequently, El Jardín, saw an unmet and critical need for increased community support and education around birth and parenting.
Over the years, El Jardín Birth and Family Resource Center has hosted numerous free educational events on issues relating to birth, parenting, and family well-being.
Past workshops have included the benefits of doula support during labor, preventing and supporting postpartum depression, and how to balance the challenges of breastfeeding after returning to work. Speakers at past events have included a range of professionals with expertise in medicine, birthing practices, mental health, and children’s health.
The Breastfeeding Garden, a free peer-to-peer breastfeeding support group, opened in 2018. Since then, hundreds of breastfeeding individuals have benefited from a community of support as well as lactation consultations. The group went virtual during the COVID pandemic and has now returned to in-person meet-ups every Friday.
In 2019, El Jardín Birth and Family released an award-winning documentary film, Birth in Pieces, that explores local mothers’ individual birth stories within a fragmented national maternal healthcare system.
The making of this award-winning documentary was a labor of love that spanned 4 years and took various turns as more and more women were interviewed, and patterns emerged. The organizers soon realized these local narratives told a story of our modern birth culture and what needs to change.
Information on how to view the film online: Birth in Pieces streaming.
For more information on current programming offered by El Jardín Birth and Family, please visit their website: eljardinbirthandfamily.org
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