WANDA and Dreaming Out Loud Launch Maternal Food-as-Medicine Program for DC Birth Workers

IamWANDA org
6 days ago
3 min read

WASHINGTON, DC [August 5, 2025] -- In a city where Black maternal mortality rates remain among the highest in the country, a powerful new initiative is aiming to shift the narrative—not inside hospitals, but in community kitchens, markets, and hands-on training.

This September, WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture, in partnership with Dreaming Out Loud (DOL), is launching “Nourish: Food as Medicine for Maternal Health,” a 3-week, in-person continued education pilot program held at the Marion Barry Market in Southeast Washington, DC. The program provides culturally relevant nutrition training, cooking skills, and coaching tools to Black doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, and birth workers serving families in Wards 7 and 8.

“There’s been a movement to bring nutrition into medical education—but what about the doulas and birth workers?” said Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, MA, founder of WANDA. “For some moms, they are the first line of defense. If we want to change the outcomes for Black moms and babies, we have to equip the people walking beside them with the tools and traditions to heal.”

👩🏾‍⚕️ WHY THIS PROGRAM MATTERS

Most doula and midwifery training offers no to low nutrition education, and almost none provide guidance grounded in African diasporan food traditions.

That means birth workers—who are vital frontline advocates in the Black maternal health space—are often under-resourced when it comes to:

Gestational diabetes prevention & blood sugar balance
Postpartum nutritional recovery support
Food label literacy & budget-friendly meal planning
Cultural food coaching and mood-food connection

As a registered dietitian, I see this gap every day,” said Franciel Ikeji, MS, RDN, culturally responsive nutrition educator and co-facilitator. “This program fills that gap with joy, flavor, and science. We’re talking moringa porridge, collard wraps, jollof quinoa—not just calories, but culture and healing.”

📊 THE CRISIS WE FACE

Black women in DC are 3x more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women (DC Health Department).
Over 10% of pregnant women in the U.S. develop gestational diabetes, with higher rates among Black women.
Food insecurity and poor maternal nutrition are strongly linked to preterm birth, low birth weight, and poor lactation outcomes.

While national conversations focus on getting nutrition into med schools, this program asks: What about the birth workers?

🍲 A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PILOT PROGRAM

Program Dates:

🗓 Thursdays – September 4, 11, and 18

🕡 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

📍 Marion Barry Ave Market, 1303 Marion Barry Ave SE, Washington, DC

🎓 Includes CEUs + Certificate of Completion | Seats are limited.

Be one of the 20 scholarship winners (valued at $1000) to attend the NOURISH program for free. Rolling admissions until all seats are filled.

Each 2.5-hour session includes:

Keynotes from maternal health and nutrition leaders
Nutrition education on gestational diabetes, anemia, lactation, and food as medicine
Hands-on cooking demos of culturally rooted recipes
Reflection, discussion, and toolkits for client education

“Food is our love language at Dreaming Out Loud, and this initiative is a love letter to the mothers and birthing people in our communities,” said Jaren Hill Lockridge, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Engagement. “We’ve always known that food is medicine, but this is about so much more—it’s about building a solid foundation for a food sovereign future. By growing food and passing down knowledge, we’re reconnecting with our culture while caring for our mothers while offering birth workers a kind of nourishment that ripples for generations.”

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” added Stevenson. “And the plate is the place to begin.”

🔗 REGISTRATION & MEDIA INQUIRIES

📩 hello@iamwanda.org

🎟 Register here: https://www.iamwanda.org/programs/nourish

📸 Media assets available upon request

ABOUT WANDA

WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture is a nonprofit organization building a pipeline and platform for Black women and girls in food, health, and agriculture through education, advocacy, and innovation in Washington, DC, and Abuja, Nigeria. Learn more at www.iamwanda.org.

ABOUT DREAMING OUT LOUD

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc. is a DC-based nonprofit working to create economic opportunities and food sovereignty for marginalized communities through equitable, community-rooted food systems. Learn more at www.dreamingoutloud.org.