Returning to Peace—Your Weekly Reflection
As the Easter season concludes, we revisit a passage from our Gospel that we read not long ago. The disciples were hiding behind locked doors, fearful of what will happen next. Then, Jesus appears and greets them with the words: “Peace be with you.” For us at CMMB, it is meaningful to reflect again on peace—especially at a time when so many around the world are yearning for it.
Peace comes to us in different ways. For the disciples, it came in comforting words. At CMMB, we witness peace in the eyes of a new mother, cradling her newborn baby against her chest. She is comforted by diligent nurses as she looks forward to bringing her child home to experience all the firsts that come with childhood. And in Kitui County, Kenya, there are many more firsts to come thanks to an addition at the Kitui County Referral Hospital.
Inside the hospital is a brand-new kangaroo mother care center, dedicated to supporting peaceful, healing moments between moms and their babies who were born too soon or too small.
Kangaroo mother care is a lifesaving technique for premature infants. Using skin-to-skin contact, the practice helps newborns regulate their body temperature, gain weight, and bond with mom. With the proper support and environment, it fosters beautiful moments of peace during what can otherwise be uncertain first days of life.
The center complements the hospital’s neonatal unit, another recent addition to the hospital grounds. The neonatal unit greatly improved the environment and resources for doctors and nurses to give the best possible care. And a dedicated space where mothers and newborns could continue their healing journey was needed too. Thanks to the generous donor who helped support the neonatal unit, their hopes were answered.
Just last week, a small ceremony marked the official opening of the kangaroo mother care center.
“I’d like to appreciate God and thank God for everything that he has done. He has enabled us to have partners who really supported us—who have journeyed with us,” shared Nurse Irene, who leads the team of nurses in the neonatal unit and kangaroo mother care center at the Kitui County Referral Hospital.
