Counting Blessings: Two Years of Korédé House
From Ancestral Wisdom to Modern Care: Building a Maternal Health Village
Two years ago on May 8th, 2023, we opened the doors to Korédé House as a haven of hope—a third space for mothers to thrive, be seen, find community, and receive practical help.
The journey has been filled with many conversations, Supper Tables that brought disparate people together, open co-working days with childcare, laundry days, and more. But as shared in a previous entry, things only truly began to "work" once our focus shifted to stage-specific care, providing comprehensive maternal support to pregnant and postpartum women.
Today marks an occasion for counting blessings and as the singer says, "…knowing I can't count that high."
The Village Behind the Vision
Deep gratitude flows to my family—Yinka, our children, my siblings, and my parents—for their unwavering support. The turmoil and isolation of founding a social, quasi-charitable venture turned them into unpaid therapists and empathetic listeners through the challenging moments.
The St. Louis community of friends deserves recognition for their tremendous support. Standing on your shoulders makes it impossible to count blessings.
To the new community of team members and birth-workers, as stated in your welcome letter, "you are the heartbeat of this vision." During Black Maternal Health Week in 2024, Tori, our care coordinator, and I reached out to several doulas attending a conference to experience respite care at Korédé House, our care hub. This outreach led to a relationship with the Maternal and Child Health unit of St. Louis City Department of Health and meeting Dr. Nancy Lewis, our doula coordinator and head of enrichment. Under Nancy’s leadership, Korédé House has grown from zero doulas to almost 20 in just one year.
The dedication of our Doulas, Family Transition Specialists, Mental Health Therapist, Massage Therapist, Software Developers, Communications Director, Administrative Assistant, Volunteers and more deserves endless thanks. Your collective work propels our mission forward "to bring goodness, ease, and inspiration to every mother in the world."
Divine Timing and Maternal Legacy
Today's press release announces our collaboration with the St. Louis City Department of Health, enabling the sustainability of physical and digital infrastructure to extend care beyond clinic walls through the first year postpartum. Mothers and birth workers now access comprehensive support: Doula care, Family Transition Specialists providing in-home care, peer groups, mental health services, self-care resources, and more. These partnerships within our healthcare system stand as testament to what my husband Yinka says time and again, "When God gives vision, He will make provision." Daily, this work affirms the truth of that statement.
“Our Peer Leader draws us in, and I feel her spirit every time she speaks. She keeps us connected and informed! Korédé House is so refreshing. I wish everyone having a child could experience these services — everyone deserves the dose of joy and love, and support that the program offers. My doula feels like a sister to me, I can feel her generosity and love. I am still learning to accept help, but she made it easy to be supported.” - Stephanie - Stage Care Client
We Are With You
We are with you.
Today also marks my mother's birthday, she is 76; Happy Birthday, Mom — your voice rings loudest, instilling belief that "He will give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone." (Psalm 91:11-12)
Bringing Goodness is what mothers can do. Our role is to encourage and empower mothers to do so and receive goodness in return.
Counting blessings, knowing we can’t count that high.
- Ronke