Dear Colleagues and Friends in Paediatric Critical Care,

From Cape Town, South Africa, to the World, it is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 11th World Congress of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive & Critical Care Societies (WFPICCS), on 12-16 July 2022.

The local scientific and organising committees are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with WFPICCS in planning an unforgettable virtual congress based in Cape Town – the Gateway to Africa!

With a unique African flavour, the Congress will be tailored to the entire interprofessional WFPICCS community of physicians, nurses, scientists, and allied health professionals, providing a platform to advance professional knowledge, enhance skills, share experience and network with colleagues and friends from around the world. Together we aim towards improving paediatric critical care across the globe, so that every child has the best chance of survival and quality of life following critical illness or injury. In particular, we hope that this congress will provide the necessary impetus to advocate for improved  paediatric critical and intensive care services across Africa, for which there is a pressing need.

The over-arching theme of the Congress is “Ubuntu” –an Inguni term roughly translated as “I am because we are”– it speaks to the belief that we are defined by our compassion and kindness toward others. In this spirit, the Congress organisers have made the difficult decision to once again hold the event virtually, considering the Covid19 pandemic currently raging across the world, which would prevent many colleagues from attending in person. The virtual event will enable delegates from across the world to attend and benefit from the excellent programme, without personal risk and at considerably reduced financial and environmental cost.

WFPICCS 2022 will deliver a high quality scientific programme, sharing the latest developments in paediatric intensive and critical care across the spectrum from basic science to the bedside and beyond to global health challenges and opportunities.  The programme will include daily plenary sessions, pre-congress workshops and “round-table” discussions, with opportunities to meet (using state of the art virtual technology) and discuss specific and diverse topics with experts in the field, from a range of professional and sociogeographic backgrounds across the world.  There will also be scope for emerging researchers to share their work and generate discussion and critical review. In addition to the stimulating academic programme, we will host various fun social activities online, to give delegates an opportunity to relax, get to know one another better and experience a virtual taste of South Africa’s rich and diverse heritage.  This is an exciting opportunity not to be missed!

Cape Town is known as the “Mother City”, nestled between the ocean and the iconic Table Mountain at the Southern tip of Africa. It is a city with rich cultural and natural heritage and diversity, with access to a wealth of tourism opportunities throughout South Africa and the continent. We hope to share some of these opportunities with you, so that we can welcome you in person once the world recovers from this devastating pandemic. We look forward seeing you virtually in 2022 – wamkelekile/ welkom/ le amogelesegile/ a le aomgela/ amohela/ mauya/ nemukelekile/ siyalemukela : WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRICA!

Co-Chairs of Local Organising and Local Scientific Committees

International Scientific Committee Chairs:
Lauren Sorce, Intikhab Zafurallah and Sarah Wright

Local Scientific and Organising Committees’ Chairs:
Andrew Argent and Brenda Morrow