The Afua Hassan Midwifery Scholarship
African American women are three to four times more likely to die during or after delivery than are white women. – Harvard Public Health
In 2020, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.9 times the rate for non-Hispanic White women. Rates for non-Hispanic Black women were significantly higher than rates for non-Hispanic White and Hispanic women. The increases from 2019 to 2020 for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women were significant. The observed increase from 2019 to 2020 for non-Hispanic White women was not significant. – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One of the most effective ways to reduce these rates are by supporting midwives of color. The Afua Hassan Midwifery Scholarship supports future and current midwives of color in the Houston area.
Click here for more info and apply for the Afua Hassan Midwifery Scholarship
About Afua Hassan
Afua Hassan grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. She graduated from Brown University in 1981 and moved to Houston. In 1983, she graduated from the Houston School of Midwifery. She practiced midwifery for many years before opening The Birthing Place in the Third Ward in 2011, the only freestanding birthing center owned and operated by an African American midwife in Houston.
Afua took great joy in being a midwife and loved The Birthing Place with all she had. She created a strong community of moms and families by being passionate about her profession and exceptional at what she did. She assisted in over 800 births and touched the lives of many families. Afua transitioned on April 4, 2021.
One of Afua’s biggest goals was “More Black Midwives.” We now name our midwifery scholarship “The Afua Hassan Midwifery Scholarship” in her loving memory. All money raised will go towards The Afua Hassan Midwifery Scholarship to support future and current midwives of color in the Houston area.
