2022: Jamaa Celebrates 7 Years-Birth Center & Postpartum Retreat Haven Launch

February 1, 2022 / Okunsola M. Amadou

Jamaa Birth Village means family in the African language of Swahili. Come and go with me, on the humble beginnings and birthing of a village.

jamaa legacy black birth saint louis

Welcome to 2022! If you’ve been following along with us, in all of our accomplishments and legacies, you’ll see why we’re so excited to celebrate 7-years! 

From standing on the shores of Ghana, West Africa and that initial vision, to over exceeding our the first goal of our capital campaign, to becoming Missouri’s 1st Black CPM, moving full circle from our early days at the Ferguson Library to opening our very own fully functioning Midwifery Clinic in the height of a pandemic, to training over 200 Doulas in the St. Louis region, serving over 800 families in the city, and being awarded with the prestigious Merck for MOthers Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative Grant, we have so much to be thankful for, and this year, we are celebrating, “The Legacy of Black Birth in St. Louis!” 

For our 7-year anniversary, Jamaa Birth Village launched our Birth Center & Postaprtum Retreat Haven capital campaign to build Missouri’s 1st Black led birth center and postpartum recovery center, right in the heart of Ferguson. Through divine connections, Jamaa Birth Village purchased 1-acre of land, debt free, with creek access, to build this innovative model. Our building partners Cannon Designs and Architecture firm Tao + Lee, currently assists in bringing to fruition this beautiful model of care.

Learn more at birthretreatstl.com!

Posted in

Okunsola M. Amadou

Okunsola M. Amadou, a Fulani-American Midwife, is the Founder and President of Jamaa Birth Village.

Brittany L. Conteh, professionally known as Priestess Okunsola M. Amadou, Folk Midwife™ and Birth Priestess™, is a pioneering midwife, educator, and preservationist dedicated to redefining the legacy of African Indigenous Midwifery and ensuring its rightful place in the cultural and historical record.

After leading the Jamaa Birth Village organization and midwifery clinic for over a decade and practicing as a Certified Professional Midwife, Okunsola is now transitioning from clinical practice to full-time cultural preservation, focusing on the documentation, protection, and advancement of her patent pending midwife designation paths of Folk Midwifery™ and Birth Priestess™ traditions-globally.

As the Founder & President of Jamaa Birth Village, Okunsola led groundbreaking efforts to transform Black Maternal Health in Missouri and beyond. Her achievements include:

Opening Missouri’s first Black-led midwifery clinic on Juneteenth 2020, after training with traditional midwives and fetish priestesses in Ghana (2013).

Becoming the First Black Certified Professional Midwife & First Black Registered CPM Preceptor in Missouri.

Certifying over 460 Black doulas, significantly closing the Black doula disparity gap in St. Louis and the State of Missouri.

Earning 24 awards for her contributions to Black Maternal Health.

Consulting hospitals, policymakers, and international organizations on equitable maternal care policies.

Receiving ten state/local proclamations, seven resolutions-including a Congressional Resolution for her work in birth justice.

As a Museum Studies scholar, Okunsola graduated from the University of Iowa Museum Studies Program May 2025, after completing an internship at the Missouri Historical Society where she launched a Missouri Midwife archive and pop-up exhibit.

Her leadership has not only expanded access to midwifery and doula services, but also challenged systemic inequities in maternal care, ensuring culturally centered and community-driven solutions.

Leave a Comment