Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

27 November 2025

4-minute read

Despite the pressures of public hospitals with their long queues and uncertainties, Tracy Hanna, wife of 40 years, mother of two, business owner, and member of the W.O.M.B.S Doula Association, began volunteering as a doula in January 2017 at the Far East Rand Hospital.

Tracy says that here was “absolutely one moment” when she was training to become a doula and saw a mum walk out of the hospital after she had given birth with her infant wrapped in the jersey she had been wearing, that led her to found Love and Dignity. The NPO is dedicated to supporting mothers with newborn and premature babies. From her very first day volunteering to now coordinating some of the biggest prematurity support projects in the country, Tracy has made it her mission to ensure that no mother feels alone.

Coming off World Premature Month, their team distributes over a thousand Items that are needed for mums who have babies in the NICU. Support for mothers of premature babies in public hospitals is crucial, as they face fears of caring for their tiny baby, as well as work, financial burdens and worrying about their other children at home. Returning to the hospital every day to feed their prem adds to their challenges. Tracy says their aim at Love and Dignity is to provide gifts for these mothers to “alleviate a little bit of that pressure”.

While most people never see what really happens inside public maternity wards, some of the hidden challenges that mothers face include not having basic necessities for their babies like clothing and blankets. An excellent initiative by public hospitals is to educate mums on the benefits of breastfeeding, thus ensuring that babies always have breastmilk their primary source of nutrition. Some hospitals do not allow anyone to accompany the mum to the birth and in these cases, volunteers required to “just hold their hands,” says Tracy, further mentioning that nobody understands the impact of the shortage of staff on a labouring mother.

Unfortunately, the state does not have the time to give these mums the attention and support that they deserve. The staff and even doctors at public hospitals are so welcoming to the doulas because they take the pressure off them. Doulas are included and given a chance to help in things like making up beds.

Doulas work at two ends of the spectrum of emotion in the birthing process – extreme joy at the birth of a baby and devastating sadness when a mum loses her baby. Amongst them, there are also doulas who work with children whose mums have passed away in the birthing process.  The doulas at Love and Dignity take time out to counsel each other, a process called “doula the doula,” passing on the love and care they would give to the mother, to each other. Tracy feels that if you experience a beautiful birth with a mother, you just know that “that relationship is going to blossom forever,” and hopes that those children will grow up and have the support of their own mothers when they go through the birthing process themselves.

“Any extra hands would help,” says Tracy. Many young adults want to give back but don’t know where to start. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Tracy or One Thousand Days of Grace at the Rahima Moosa Hospital to get involved in packing bags, arranging what goes into the bags, and hand them out to the mums. There are organisations that do doula training for those who want to go further into the field.

Behind the walls of public hospitals, Love and Dignity performs hidden acts of kindness. Their goal has always been to provide mothers with essential items that allow them to leave the hospital with dignity, so that they can focus their energy and love on their babies.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and Tracy Hanna.