Our Mission
MAYA's mission is to empower BIPOC and marginalized birthing people and birthworkers, and to create positive change in the systems that impact them.
Our Values
Our services are accessible.
All pregnant and new parents are welcome to participate in our programs. MAYA requires little to no documentation. We offer services online and in community locations.
Our services are holistic.
MAYA sees parents as whole people with physical, emotional, social, informational, and practical needs. Our scope of practice includes professional and peer support, education, and practical assistance. Within this scope, we do not limit our services to specific topics or situations.
We are community-based.
Whenever possible, care is facilitated by mentors that live in the same communities as our participants. Although MAYA provides information when needed, we do not see ourselves as bearers of knowledge to be handed down to participants. Rather, we provide a community of care in which participants contribute their insights and experiences as equals.
It’s not about us.
We recognize that each of us has our own opinions, beliefs, and values, and we can never be completely unbiased. At MAYA, we work to be aware of our own biases so that we can set them aside and focus on the participants’ point of view. Our only agenda is to assist participants in making their own decisions that are in alignment with their own values.
We are an anti-racist space.
We acknowledge and talk about racial disparities in birth outcomes. MAYA strives to understand how systemic and personal racism harm the health and experiences of Black and Brown birthing people. We work actively to center Black experiences and provide culturally-congruent support. We examine the impact that our hiring practices, client interactions, and organizational culture have on people of color.
Our services are trauma-informed.
We understand that traumatic experiences can alter participants’ sense of danger and complicate the work of healing, and we work to create a community of safety.
We care about relationships.
Relationships are at the core of our work: relationships with participants, partner organizations, and medical providers. MAYA works actively to build trusting relationships with all these groups because change only happens when we work together.
We believe in human dignity.
MAYA serves incarcerated individuals, people struggling with addiction, and women who have faced abuse and loss - individuals who are often stigmatized, or even dehumanized. We stand against stigma and shame, and uphold the dignity of all people, no matter what their circumstances.
We uphold a woman's right to choose.
Birthing people are the owners and authors of their bodies, and have the right to decide whether to continue, terminate, or prevent pregnancies. MAYA's staff listen non-judgmentally, uphold participants' choices, and are available to accompany them for medical appointments and procedures.
Opportunities
At MAYA, we practice our values in everything we do. That's why it's an empowering place to work or train. Check out our current opportunities below.
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