Merck Foundation CEO shares the partnership journey with Democratic Republic of the Congo First Lady 2020 to 2023 - Train healthcare providers, support Infertile Women & Girl Education
• Merck Foundation CEO and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) First Lady meet during 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 to approve their future strategy and announce their impact report and call for action to build healthcare capacity and empower women & girls in DRC.
• Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with DRC First lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond.
• Watch the overview of the 2-day Hybrid 9th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m4k9Z_M7tg
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the 9th Edition of “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”. The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, and H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of Democratic Republic of The Congo & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “Our long-term partnership with my dear sister, H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of Democratic Republic of The Congo and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” started in 2020 and we have achieved a lot in a very short time since then.
We had a long meeting during 9th edition of our Luminary to discuss our joint programs and strategy and report its impact and we will meet soon in DRC to follow up on our impact and ongoing programs together in the country. I am proud to share that together we provided 87 scholarships to young doctors from the country in many critical and underserved specialties like Oncology, Fertility, Embryology, and Diabetes. I am looking forward to transforming patient care in DRC through our long-term partnership.”
H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of Democratic Republic of The Congo & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” shared “I would like to greatly acknowledge our valuable partnership with Merck Foundation that we started in 2020, we have made an impact in a very short time.
I am Proud to share that Merck Foundation has provided 87 scholarships to our doctors in the fields of Oncology, Fertility, Embryology, and Diabetes, which gave us our first Fertility specialists & Embryologists.
Together, we also conducted the Online Health Media Training for our journalists to create a culture shift, to break the silence, and be the voice of the voiceless in order to raise awareness on sensitive social and health issues like Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM and Stopping GBV, Diabetes early detection and prevention. The training program proved to be very beneficial for our journalists”.
Watch the video of Merck Foundation partnership journey with DRC First Lady: https://youtu.be/4hi7mfHcGQk
Watch the video of The First Lady of Democratic Republic of The Congo & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here: https://youtu.be/65lgGTRBC-g
Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej receiving DRC First Lady, H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI: https://youtu.be/QNOPADsQN-o
On day 2 of the Luminary, Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting was also conducted between The First Ladies and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO. During the MFFLI committee meeting, a reading session of Children’s storybooks created by Merck Foundation, ‘Jackline’s Rescue’ – to focus on the importance of Girl Education and highlight the immoral practices of society including child marriage & dowry system; and ‘A Ride Into The Future’ – to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education, was also held.
Watch the video of MFFLI committee meeting: https://youtu.be/hGd8fTM7qwg
During the Luminary, a meeting between The First Lady of DRC and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej was also held to discuss the impact of on-going programs, and define strategies to further build healthcare, media and art capacity in DRC to address a wide range of social and health issues.
Watch video of the meeting between Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej and DRC First Lady, H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI: https://youtu.be/yhAHT618c1U
Together with The First Lady of DRC, Merck Foundation has provided 87 scholarships to young doctors in the fields of Oncology, Fertility, Embryology and Diabetes. Out of 87 scholarships, 21 scholarships have been provided to the first Fertility Specialists and Embryologists in the country. This will help provide support to infertile women and couples through access to more information, change of mindset and better health care facilities.
1 scholarship has been provided for Oncology Fellowship Program.
Also, as a part of Merck Foundation Nationwide Diabetes Blue Points Program, 65 scholarships have been provided to doctors for Diabetes Master course in French language. After the completion of the course, these doctors will be able to establish their own clinics in their hospitals or health centers and help prevent and manage diabetes in their communities.
Moreover, in partnership with The First Lady of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Merck Foundation has also launched seven children’s storybooks, “Jean’s story”, ‘Educating Katty”, “Make the Right Choice”, “Jackline’s Rescue”, “Not Who You Are”, “Ride into the Future” and “Sugar free Jude”. 30,000 copies of the storybooks have been distributed to school students of DRC; more copies will also be distributed soon.
The storybooks address various social and health issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, coronavirus awareness, stopping GBV and diabetes awareness. As a part of Educating Linda Program, Merck Foundation has provided 3,000 sets of essential school items for girls' schools in DRC. Merck Foundation also provided scholarship to 20 schoolgirls who are high performing but underprivileged to cover their school fees, uniforms, and items. This was initiated to support them, help them fulfil their dreams and continue their school education.
Merck Foundation, in partnership with The First Lady of DRC also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.
The 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 was streamed live on the social media handles of Merck Foundation and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Link to the Facebook live steam of Inaugural Session of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary & African First Ladies High Level Panel: https://www.facebook.com/KelejRasha/videos/1578702445903102
Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with its partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond, through:
• 1580 + Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for doctors from 50 Countries in 36 critical and underserved medical specialties.
Merck Foundation is also creating a culture shift and breaking the silence about a wide range of social and health issues in Africa and underserved communities through:
• 2500+ Media Persons from more than 50 countries trained to better raise Awareness about different social and health issues
• 8 Different Awards Launched annually for best media coverage, fashion designers, films, and songs
• Around 30 songs to address health and social issues by local singers across Africa
• 8 Children’s Storybooks in three languages - English, French, and Portuguese
• Pan African TV Program "Our Africa by Merck Foundation” addressing Social and Health Issues in Africa through “Fashion and ART with Purpose” Community
• 1000+ Girls from 15 African countries supported through scholarships or school items, annually.
• 9 Social Media Channels with more than 5 Million Followers.
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About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit Merck-Foundation.com to read more. To know more, reach out to our social media: Merck Foundation (Merck-Foundation.com); Facebook (bit.ly/32YFKpv), Twitter (bit.ly/2TeOQNj), Instagram (bit.ly/3g6OYr3), YouTube (bit.ly/3zc3up1), and Flickr (bit.ly/2Tay0Pu).
Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor
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