Do you want to be a doula?

Currently in South Africa there are various options that you can take to becoming a doula.
There are local trainings in Johannesburg and Cape town as well as international trainings.

The local trainings are hands on and give you the benefit of interacting with others on the same journey as you whilst the international training is done mostly through correspondence.

This page is dedicated to trainings that are currently recognised by the Doula Organisation of South Africa.

If you would like to have your workshop listed please send a mail to training@doula.org.za

DOSA recognises trainings that have a minimum certifying criteria that will allow South African certified doulas have international recognition.
Below are some guidelines as to what to look for in a Doula training both local and international.

• A woman of minimum 18 years of age, preferably with personal birth experience
• Complete her certification in a maximum time of 2 years
• Attend a doula course comprising a minimum of 16 hours
• Read books from a required reading booklist of which 2 books are doula related and 3 books are birth related.
• Attend and document 6 births with a variety of caregivers as a primary doula and attend and document 2 birth observations. Each attendance needs to be confirmed and signed off by either a doctor or midwife
• Submit 4 evaluations of births attended – 2 evaluations by parents, 1 evaluation by a doctor and 1 evaluation by a private midwife
• Attend, document and be signed off with a complete series of antenatal education classes held in her area consisting of a minimum of 12 hours
• Complete all assignments set out by the doula training provider
• Maintain membership with her training programme
• Be advised by an experienced mentor during her certification process
• Complete a breastfeeding course of a minimum of 16 hours and repeat an update course every 2 years
• Obtain continuing education opportunities with a minimum of 25 hours per year
• Sign a code of ethics and have a code of conduct that is compliant with DOSA’s expectations
• Complete and pass a written test with a minimum of 75%
• Receive a character and readiness reference from the trainer of the doula training programme to be submitted upon applying for registration with DOSA