Yolŋu Country, Northern Territory. 2 August 2024
In March 2024 we celebrated the project’s successful delivery of djäkamirr training to a committed group of Yolŋu women in Galiwin’ku. Next week we are going back to deliver the same training to a second cohort of students. If you feel like joining us in celebrating give this blog a high star rating!! :-)
In partnership with Australian Doula College and Yolŋu Knowledge experts it has taken us five years of dedicated hard work to co-design and now successfully deliver the vocational education training Certificate II in pregnancy, Birth and postnatal companionship 11230NAT.

Photo credit: Seneka Bowen: Some the djäkamirr with Yolŋu and Balanda Knowledge Experts during the Feb-March Galiwin’ku Djakamirr Training.
This pioneering certificate equips Yolŋu women with the knowledge and skills to provide continuity of care companionship across the reproductive spectrum including pregnancy, labour, birth, and other outcomes such as miscarriage or abortion and across the postnatal period.
For first time in Australian training history includes a unit solely dedicated to applying First Nations Knowledges and practices during pregnancy, birth and postnatally.
The nationally recognised certificate has been co-designed to achieve excellent Western and Yolŋu quality standards; and is delivered using a decolonising pedagogy that privileges, strengthens, and reinvigorates Yolŋu ancestral knowledge. The certificate has five learning units and for first time in Australian training history includes a unit solely dedicated to applying First Nations knowledges and practices during pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. Like doulas, djäkamirr do not undertake clinical assessments or participate in clinical decision making.

Photo credit: Sarah Ireland. Djäkamirr training Room Galiwin'ku
There was much gratitude to Marthakal Homelands Health Service for their generous provision of training spaces , as well as for accommodating the fly-in djäkamirr trainers Renee Adair from the Australian Doula College and staff from the Molly Wardaguga Research Institute for First Nations Birth Rights. The spaces provided by Marthakal allowed the djäkamirr students to feel safe in a homelike relaxed environment and nurtured on their learning journey with plenty of food and drinks provided.

Photo credit: Sarah Ireland: Sally Maymarru Yolŋu Knowledge Expert and Miwatj Maternity Navigator during the djäkamirr training., Galiwin'ku.
Despite the relative luxuries provided by Marthakal training spaces, delivery of remote training is not without challenges. During the short Galiwin’ku stay the team experienced a community wide fuel shortage, Telstra network outages, power black-outs, food shortages and the inability to withdraw cash to pay for food (no EFTPOS with the network down).
Service outages in a Melbourne or Sydney suburb would have attracted much media attention and government scrutiny, in a remote town like Galiwin’ku it’s just another day.
While such service outages in a Melbourne or Sydney suburb would have attracted much media attention and government scrutiny, in a remote town like Galiwin’ku it’s just another day. The resilience, patience, and determination of the Yolŋu women to show-up every day to training and overcome these obstacles is simply remarkable. Check out the links at the end of the blog to learn more about the remote 'digital divide'.

Photo credit: Sarah Ireland: Signs and digital post showing the limited services available during the djakamirr training, Galiwin’ku.
We celebrated the end of djäkamirr training with an afternoon bush picnic with opportunities to engage in ancestral practices and bush food sovereignty. Unlike mainstream doulas, it is very common to see djäkamirr using axes to skilfully collect iron rich ancestral foods to nourish pregnant women. During the picnic we put our axes to good purpose to collect and of course eat highly sought after maypal (seafood and shellfish).


Photo credits: Sarah Ireland: Using axes for collecting and eating maypal after Djäkamirr Training, Galiwin’ku.
After such a successful training session in March, I am feeling very excited and privileged to be be continuing our important work on Yolŋu Country next week. We will provide updates on how the training goes but be cautioned this is dependant on the Telstra internet coverage. Wish us good luck!!
Use these links to learn more:
Certificate II in pregnancy, birth and postnatal companionship 11230NAT and the Australian first of its kind the learning unit: First Nations Knowledges and practices during pregnancy, birth and postnatally
Yeah!