Kaʻū Womenʻs Health Collective

Our mission is empowering the women of Kaʻū to improve our health and that of our community by holding space for active listening, knowledge exchange, and collective action.

Kaʻū is the largest district in Hawaiʻi but has a population of less than 10,000. While the statewide Kanaka Maoli population is just 10%, the Kanaka Maoli population in Kaʻū is almost 30%. Since the closing of the Kaʻū Sugar Company in 1996 the economy in Kaʻū has been steadily declining. This poor rural area is a food desert and lacks access to comprehensive medical care. What Kaʻū lacks in economy and infrastructure, it more than makes up for in history, cultural pride, and connection to place. Our ancestors were once wealthy in healthy diets, traditional medicine and childbirth practices. A century of colonization and plantation culture has subjugated this knowledge with the message that only dominant western culture is legitimate.  The women of Kaʻū carry knowledge from our cultures, experiences and ancestors which will go a long way in keeping us and our families healthy if only we can empower ourselves to believe in it and give it a try. 

Ka’ū Women’s Health Collective is a completely volunteer-run grassroots organization which practices collective decision making.   The Collective was started in 2019 by a group of moms to address reproductive justice issues impacting the health of the community; from teen pregnancy to childbirth trauma to high rates of cancer and diabetes.  Empowering women who are the childbearers, the caregivers and the workhorses, is the first step in finding meaningful reproductive justice for our community.  In this way we strive to decolonize beliefs about power and self worth.