Newborn mortality in Cameroon had long remained a heartbreaking challenge, with approximately 28 deaths for every 1,000 live births. This meant too many tiny lives didn’t make it to their 28th day. Compounding this crisis, internal conflict had displaced over half a million people, predominantly women and children. Many health facilities, particularly in remote and crisis-affected areas, either lacked essential equipment like incubators or struggled with frequent power outages, leaving fragile newborns dangerously exposed to complications like hypothermia.
Stepping into this critical gap was Embrace Global, a 501c3 nonprofit with a powerful mission: to ensure every premature baby, regardless of their birthplace, has access to an incubator. With a proven track record of helping over 1,000,000 babies across 25 countries with their innovative portable life-saving incubators, it was finally Cameroon’s turn to benefit from this technology.
We received a donation of Embrace incubators to distribute to 10 carefully selected health facilities. This partnership was a monumental step toward bringing reliable, life-saving thermal care to some of the nation’s most vulnerable newborns, especially those in communities affected by displacement and crisis.
After the selection process, which deliberately focused on identifying facilities in remote areas that lacked reliable thermal care, our next critical step was organizing a training session. This was essential to ensure the equipment would be used effectively.
We successfully held a vital training session for staff working in the maternal and child health units from nine different facilities. The focus was the proper usage and management of the Embrace Nest Infant Warmers. In a country where tragically 1 in 35 babies died, largely due to hypothermia, these portable warmers and incubators were poised to play a critical role in saving countless tiny lives.
The training itself was a massive success, featuring a comprehensive e-training led by representatives from Embrace Global, including Alanna Shaikh and Ramakrishna U H. The dedication and enthusiasm of the Cameroonian health providers were palpable.
The overwhelming positive feedback we received highlighted the immediate value of this initiative:
“We feel more competent to save babies after this training.”
“As a mum of a premature baby myself, this has come in timely to save moms the stress I went through with my baby.”
The training concluded with a tangible commitment to the facilities’ future capacity: a donation of 10 complete packs and 10 refills each (20) of these portable incubators to every facility represented.
We extend a heartfelt special thanks to Embrace Global for their incredible partnership and for making this life-saving innovation possible! Their commitment has truly brought a beacon of hope and warmth to Cameroon’s newest and most vulnerable citizens.
