At Community Doulas of Waco, we believe that the best people to support a community are the people who live in it, breathe its air, and understand its unique heartbeat.
Our story didn’t start in a boardroom. It started in the birth space.
From “I Wish” to “I Can”
It began with a simple conversation. While our founder, Tonja, was serving as a doula in a pilot program at Care Net, she noticed a recurring theme. After experiencing the life-changing support of a doula, many mothers would look at her and say, “I wish I could do what you’re doing.”
Tonja’s response was always enthusiastic, “You can!” But as she looked closer at the “how,” she realized that for many women in Waco, the path to becoming a professional doula was paved with obstacles. Without a support system, mentorship, or financial backing, the profession felt out of reach. Tonja realized that to have a birth community that truly looked like the people it served, she had to build the bridge herself.
Breaking the Barriers to Support
The doula profession shouldn’t be a luxury—it should be a standard of care. That is why Community Doulas of Waco provides the mentorship and guidance Tonja wished she had when she was starting out.
We aren’t just empowering moms during labor; we are walking with them as they transition into becoming doulas for their own neighbors. This is the Circle of Care:
- The Client receives expert, compassionate care at zero cost.
- The Transition allows moms to focus on advocacy, a healthy birth, and a restorative postpartum period.
- The Opportunity gives those same women a path to professional training, mentorship, and a competitive wage.
The Reality in McLennan County
We know that professional doula services are often inaccessible to the families who need them most. By providing these services for free, we are actively improving maternal health outcomes in McLennan County and helping mothers recover with the strength they need to raise their income-earning potential.
But we can’t do this in a vacuum. That’s Why We’re Inviting You In To keep our services free for families and our wages competitive for our doulas, we rely on a mix of grants, foundations, and—most importantly—you.
When grantors look at an organization, they ask one major question: Does the local community believe in this? When you give—whether it’s a one-time gift or a monthly partnership—you aren’t just helping us pay the bills. You are providing “proof of impact.” You are telling the world that the people of Waco believe in their own mothers and their own futures.
Join the Movement
We are thriving because of the women we serve, and we want to continue thriving with you by our side. We invite you to see the impact, hear the stories, and support the mission.
Will you help us keep the circle going?