Alumna Reflections w/ Edoukou Aka-Ezoua '17: What Does Collective Care Truly Mean?

Alumni Reflections w/ Edoukou Aka-Ezoua ’17: What Does Collective Care Truly Mean?
This talk will explore how collective care shows up at the intersection of social work, sociology, faith, advocacy, and empowerment. Drawing from her journey as a social worker and community doula, Edoukou will reflect on the experiences within education and maternal health that has shaped her understanding of care beyond the individual toward collective care and responsibility.

Through the lens of Systems Theory and the Person-in-Environment framework, Edoukou will discuss how helping folks, from young women of color to pregnant people, navigate complex education and medical systems requires tactful advocacy, strong relationship-building, a strengths-based approach that helps people recognize and access their own power, and, most importantly, meeting people where they are. This reflection highlights how practicing collective care is not just a value, but a transformative approach to addressing systemic inequities and supporting people holistically.

Bio
Edoukou Aka-Ezoua is a social worker, educator, and community doula. Edoukou is the owner of Nurture + Thrive Holistic Doula Care; a community doula practice that provides doula services to families in the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies from Lafayette College and Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. Edoukou has worked in the human services and nonprofit field for more than 10 years and has been a full spectrum community doula for the last 4 years.

Her personal and professional background has pushed her to critically challenge the oppressive systems and institutions that have historically excluded marginalized communities from accessing the resources they need to thrive. She intentionally guides her social work and doula practice through an intersectional lens, centering the voices and lived experiences of Black people, low-income and immigrant families.

As a part of our commitment to inclusivity, please contact Gabby Hochfeld at hochfelg@lafayette.edu for any accessibility related questions.

This event is a collaboration between Gender & Sexuality Programs, Religious & Spiritual Life, and the Women's History Month planning committee.

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Co-hosted with: Religious and Spiritual Life, Office of Intercultural Development (OWNER)

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