Catholic Medical Mission Board, Inc.

Hi, my name is Irene Khaemba, and I am a Registered Neonatal Nurse working in the Newborn Unit, where I care for critically ill and vulnerable newborns. Every day, I am entrusted with the responsibility of supporting neonates facing serious health challenges such as prematurity, infections, and respiratory complications. My work focuses entirely on providing specialized, life saving care during the most fragile stage of life.

I am reaching out to seek your support in helping me attend the COINN 2026 Conference in Australia, a global gathering of neonatal nursing professionals dedicated to advancing newborn care. This conference will take place in 2026 and brings together experts, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to share knowledge and improve outcomes for newborns.

I am honored to have my abstract accepted for presentation at this international conference. My abstract focuses on improving neonatal care practices within the Newborn Unit, particularly in strengthening early identification of at risk newborns, enhancing response to critical conditions, and improving nursing led interventions that can reduce preventable complications and increase survival rates. This work reflects my commitment to not only providing care, but also improving how care is delivered.

Attending COINN 2026 will give me the opportunity to present my work on a global platform, learn from leading experts in neonatal care, and bring back valuable knowledge and best practices that can directly improve the quality of care for newborns in my community.

I am therefore seeking support to help cover travel, accommodation, and conference registration costs. Your contribution will not only support my professional growth, but will also have a lasting impact on the lives of the newborns I care for every day.

Together, we can strengthen neonatal care, improve survival outcomes, and give more newborns a chance at a healthy start in life. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to that goal.

Thank you for your support.

In rural South Sudan, a simple infection can be deadly. Crowded wards and limited supplies put patients at risk. Across Africa, on average, 1 in 8 hospitalized patients (about 12.8%) acquire a healthcare-associated infection — more than twice the rate in developed countries.

St Therese Mission Hospital is leading the way in South Sudan. We have been recognized as having the strongest compliance to infection prevention and control practices and waste management best practices in the country. We are doing everything we can to protect our patients from getting an infection while in our care.

But we need your support so we can continue to purchase supplies to make alcohol-based hand gel, personal protective equipment for our staff, extra parts for our sterilizer in our theatre and supplies to properly clean and disinfect critical items used in our hospital, keeping every patient safe.

Every person deserves healthcare that is safe, effective, and life-saving—no matter where they are. Your support will allow us to continue our vision of being a leader of infection prevention and control in South Sudan elevating the quality of care we provide our community.