DURHAM, N.C. -- From the moment June Eric-Udorie heard the statistics about infant mortality in the African American community, she immediately wanted to be part of the solution.
- June Eric-Udorie is raising money to provide doulas for African American women.
- She is doing this because of the high infant mortality rate in the African American community.
- Black babies have a 2.3 times higher mortality rate than white babies, according tothe March of Dimes.
"I took it upon myself to become a doula because I had read and learned that doulas impacted birth outcomes for black women and increased satisfaction," Eric-Udorie said.
Eric-Udorie, a student at Duke University, completed training in California over the summer to become a doula.
"Black women are dying and evidence has shown that doulas play a huge part in making sure black women come out of their birth experience. Not just black women, but women of color, indigenous women, birthing people, come out of their birthing experience feeling empowered."
The March of Dimes reports African Americans have a mortality rate 2.3 times the rate of white infants and are 3.8 times more likely to die from complications due to low birth weight.
Eric-Udorie is now raising money in hopes of providing services free of charge to families in need.
"Doulas are very pricey in the area here," Eric-Udorie said. "You can get anything from $1,800 to $1,500 for a doula and so it can really price out the people who need it the most, so this is really a way of reaching those people who do need this care."
If you would like to donate to the cause, you can do so here.