Wombs of Wata

THE WATER BROUGHT US HERE, THE WATER WILL TAKE US AWAY.

Wombs of Wata flows as a birth worker residency for birth guardians, keepers of the flame, midwives, and cultural practitioners dedicated to preserving womb-centered traditions. We gather on the shores that touch the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Chesapeake to retrieve the ancestral birth seeds left by our matriarchs. We come together to activate the shifts we need —to turn the tides towards birth justice and collective remembrance.

What better way to reconnect and remember than through the womb?

Accountability

By holding up a mirror to our practices, we center being accountable to the environment and communities by utilizing restorative justice. We also recalibrate how we show up in birth and healing spaces.

Remembrance

Water carries memory. We intentionally place our residencies near bodies of water to facilitate retrieving memories from our bloodlines.

Participation in our residencies is by invitation.

Preservation

We collaborate with aligned local artists, midwives, healers, and land stewards for all of our gatherings to preserve ancestral birth traditions.

We are retracing the footsteps of our midwives.

Not all has been lost.

Wombs of Wata Residencies

5-12 DAY IMMERSIONS

FAQs

Since our first residency in 2023, we’ve been working to host our residencies in additional locations. Our next birth worker residencies will be in South Carolina’s Lowcountry in 2026. A small group of birth workers will be invited to apply.
Participation in a WoW residency is by invitation. This allows us to keep our work sacred and sustainable.
Our residencies are an intimate group of 5-8 residents to foster healthy fellowship.
We are always looking for more birth workers, guardians, and midwives who would benefit from our residencies. If you know someone who should be invited to participate in our next residency, please complete the contact form. A team member will follow up by email.
Our final Senegal residency will be held December 12-24, 2025. We have loved bringing birth workers to the land of Terranga and look forward to creating residencies in other locations!
We are a volunteer-led initiative that believes in paying our local partners a livable wage. As such, we charge a fee to cover those costs so that our volunteer team does not have to pay out of pocket. The fee for each residency is made available to the candidates who are invited to apply. Payment plans are available to make residencies financially accessible. All payments are non-refundable.
Roundtrip airfare, visas, excursions and meals not included, personal items, lost luggage, or travel insurance
We are always open to partnering with birth practitioners who are interested in expanding our network, raise funds, and being thought partners. Please consider supporting our watas by contacting us at hello[at]wombsofwata.com.