Vision:
Every mother and baby survive and thrive through pregnancy, labor, and beyond.
Mission:
To create culturally responsive pregnancy and parenting experiences for Black, immigrant, and refugee families.
Goals:
1) To have our doulas guide families through their pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period thus reducing the risk for medical intervention for both the mother and child, while providing informational, emotional, and physical support before, during, and after the birth of their child.
2) To educate low-income, refugee, immigrant families and their communities handout safe pregnancy, birth, and baby care practices through classes and workshops.
Core Values:
All pregnant individuals should have access to exceptional prenatal care
All pregnant individuals should be trusted to make choices they see are best for them
All pregnant individuals should feel comfortable, respected, and protected by health care professionals
All pregnant individuals should have access to continuous, non-judgmental, emotional, physical, and informational support
Our Origin Story: From Crisis to Community
From the very beginning, Global Perinatal Services (GPS) was built from lived experience — from witnessing too many Somali mothers in Washington state being pushed into cesarean sections they didn’t understand, in hospital rooms where no one spoke their language, and no one took the time to explain. Faisa Farole, a Somali-born midwife and mother, couldn’t stand by while her community continued to suffer in silence. So she started something radical: a small team of Somali women trained as doulas, who not only supported births but stood up for mothers, educated families, and bridged the cultural and medical gap that had long gone ignored. That team became Somali Doulas Northwest, and it was never just about delivering babies — it was about restoring voice, power, and safety to the women who’d been left out of the conversation for far too long.
GPS began with that one urgent question: Why were Somali women in Washington state experiencing cesarean births at such alarmingly high rates, often without fully understanding why, or having a say in the decision? Faisa saw what the data couldn’t capture: women being rushed through a system that didn’t see them. In founding Somali Doulas Northwest, she planted the seeds of a new model — one where doulas were more than support people. They were community advocates, trusted educators, and culturally grounded companions in a vulnerable journey.
What started as a response to crisis has grown into a movement for birth equity. Today, as GPS, our mission has expanded to include all women of color and birthing people who are navigating the same broken systems, including immigrants, refugees, low-income families, and others too often overlooked. But our core belief remains: no birthing person should go through pregnancy and birth without support that reflects their lived experience. We continue to stand in the gap, to make sure every parent, especially those at greatest risk, is seen, heard, and powerfully supported from the first contraction to the first months of their baby’s life.
Our work extends beyond the delivery room. We walk with families through prenatal education, postpartum recovery, home visits, mental health awareness, breastfeeding support, and parenting education , all delivered in the languages they speak and with the cultural humility they deserve. We’ve even launched fatherhood classes designed by and for men, because strong families start with informed, empowered parents on all sides. This is about more than birth. It’s about building healthier, more connected communities.
We know this work saves lives. We’ve seen mothers avoid unnecessary surgeries, initiate exclusive breastfeeding, recover with confidence, and thrive. We’ve watched fathers step into their roles with pride and preparation. And we’ve seen what happens when you give people not just care, but dignity, respect, and the tools to advocate for themselves. That is the heartbeat of GPS. And we’re just getting started.