The uncertainties of the years ahead are myriad for Indigenous families: Will the price of food, water and gas increase? Will federal funding changes impact essential health and human services? Will ICE authorities mistakenly apprehend relatives, as we’ve seen reported on social media? We simply don’t have the answers right now. What we do know is that our Center for Indigenous Health team members are from these communities and will be there to uplift mothers, fathers and youth through shared kinship and direct connection to public health resources.
The best way to illustrate how profound this relationship can be is through the lens of a home visitor from Family Spirit, our strengths-based program for Indigenous caregivers from pregnancy through early childhood. Tanya Jones is Diné (Navajo), Todich’ii’nii (Bitter Clan), born for the Tsenjikini (Honey Combed Rock People Clan) and a home visitor with nearly 20 years of experience delivering public health programs on Navajo Nation. Tanya shared insights the team receives from Family Spirit participants:
- It starts with an embrace: Caregivers can feel how much home visitors love their jobs and care about them on a personal level. This relationship begins with hour-long weekly visits in the third trimester of pregnancy and continues through the child’s third birthday. “Many moms don’t have a mother figure of their own due to a variety of circumstances. These families have a uniquely strong bond with us.”
- It’s about relationships: Visits always begin with a check-in, providing time to share about recent challenges, joys and potential connections to additional community resources. “I always try to start out with culture and tradition. This helps moms open up a lot more. We could have a connection by clan – that shared experience makes them more open to being emotionally present and attentive.”
- Lessons are backed by practical support: In addition to providing information to meet the family’s needs – ranging from nutrition to mental health support to immunization – home visitors assist with the logistics of transportation for prenatal appointments and well child visits. “We make sure they can get there. And if a family can’t afford groceries or help with applying for housing, we connect them with local resources to help.”
- Deep roots strengthen communities: Long-time Family spirit home visitors in Fort Defiance, Arizona (Navajo Nation) regularly run into former program participants at local shops and events. “Our moms are always finding us and proudly showing off their growing children. They have vivid memories of time spent with us as far back as the early 2000s and express gratitude for this service at such a formative time for their family.”
Family Spirit home visitors reach young families in hundreds of Native communities, one of our widest reaching programs. Watch this video to learn about this program’s impact for one family: