THE LITTLEST ONES

Running an orphanage takes a resourceful heart. No one exemplifies this more than St. Kizito's headmistress, Sister Catherine. Always willing to take in a child who has no parents and whose community cannot step forward, she is the one who is called when there is a crisis. Recently, her bravery and that of the nuns she works with was called into action for a very small baby who were born prematurely when her mother died in childbirth. Sadly, this is an all too common occurrence in Eastern Congo, and other countries without adequate medical care for pregnant women, and the results are devastating for the entire family. 

In the US, or other more resourced countries, this little girl would have been whisked into incubators and would have spent weeks, if not months, in very sterile environments. However, there are no incubators in Bunia and the child had no family left. 

Enter Sister Catherine. With constant monitoring and 24-hour care, she and the nurses at the orphanage clinic have created their own neo-natal ward. Of course everyone will be relieved when Congo Kids Initiative is able to raise funds for an incubator and funds for a visiting pediatrician, but in the meantime, with the patience of those who know that sleep is optional when the stakes are this high, and one beautiful girl is off to a beautiful start in life.