Wazoki, a Winnebago word meaning kinship, refers to Wellness Advocacy Zones: Opportunities for Kinship Involvement (WAZOKI), a two-year community partnered research project that aims to strengthen kinship involvement and support for Indigenous pregnant people in Winnebago. This community-driven project, led by a local Winnebago Community Coalition, is a partnership among researchers representing the Winnebago Public Health Department, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Washington State University, University of Utah, and a national Indigenous Maternal and Child Health Research Advisory Board. WAZOKI integrates local perspectives and values with Western and Indigenous worldviews to develop ways to engage the Winnebago community in activities that promote kinship support for pregnant people in Winnebago. A team of researchers and public health practitioners will work with a community coalition to gather and share Winnebago maternal and child health data to inform the creation of an intervention aimed to promote kinship involvement in pregnancy across interconnected spheres of Influence and involvement in pregnancy.
