Merck Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) shares the partnership journey with Sierra Leone First Lady - 2018 to 2023 to transform patient care, Support Girl Education and Break Infertility Stigma
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the 9th Edition of “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary".
Merck Foundation CEO and Sierra Leone First Lady meet with other 12 African First Ladies during 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 to discuss their future strategy and announce their impact report and call for action to build healthcare capacity with special focus on cancer care and empower women & girls in the country; Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com) is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with Sierra Leone First lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond. Watch the partnership journey: (https://apo-opa.info/44OYfe4); Watch the overview of the 2-day Hybrid 9th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here: (https://apo-opa.info/3YHgHSf).
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. Dr. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation expressed, “I appreciate and deeply value the fruitful partnership with my dear sister, H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Ambassador of Merck Foundation ‘More Than a Mother’, since 2018. During this time, we have been able to transform the public healthcare sector in Sierra Leone by providing 46 scholarships to young doctors from the country in critical and underserved specialties such as Oncology, Embryology & Fertility, Sexual and Reproductive Health Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics, Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Clinical Psychiatry, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine”.
H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” shared, “Our partnership with Merck Foundation is since 2018 and we highly appreciate their programs. Together, we have provided 46 scholarships to our doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in many critical fields for our country. I can proudly say that along with Merck Foundation we are making history in Sierra Leone by providing training for the First Oncologists in the country with the aim to establish the first skilled cancer care team who will be working in our new hospital, this will improve access to quality and equitable cancer care in the country. This is a huge achievement for us since we did not have any oncologists or fertility specialists and we have in general a very limited number of local specialists in the public sector before starting our partnership with Merck Foundation”.
Watch partnership journey of Merck Foundation with Sierra Leone First Lady: (https://apo-opa.info/44OYfe4)
Watch the video of The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here: https://apo-opa.info/3rKjdfw
Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej receiving H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”: https://apo-opa.info/43JvrlT
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:
During the Luminary, a meeting between The First Lady of Sierra Leone 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 and media capacity in Sierra Leone.
Merck Foundation also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in partnership with The First Lady of Sierra Leone for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.
Together with Sierra Leone First Lady, Merck Foundation has provided 7 scholarships for the Oncology Specialty Training programs in India and Egypt. 3 scholarships have been provided for Fertility and Embryology training program. Furthermore, 3 scholarships have been provided to young Doctors in order to upgrade their skills in Sexual and Reproductive Medicine. Also, as part of Merck Foundation Diabetes Blue Points program, 15 scholarships have been provided to young doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in various courses like a one-year PG Diploma in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Preventative Cardiovascular, two-year MSc in Diabetes and Diabetes Master course. As a response to the coronavirus outbreak, 3 Doctors have been enrolled for the Post Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Medicine, 1 Doctor for the Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine and Clinical Microbiology, and 1 Doctor for infectious diseases.
Moreover, 10 scholarships have been provided for one-year and two-year PG Diploma in the fields of Gastroenterology, Clinical Psychiatry, Trauma and Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, and Dermatology in Clinical Practice, to advance their skills.
“Our vision is that everyone can lead healthy and happy life. For 10 years this has been true in our mission to build healthcare capacity, transform patient care landscape, break infertility stigma, empower women and support girl education. We will continue to provide medical training to doctors from Sierra Leone in various medical specialties in partnership with the First Lady of Sierra Leone", assured Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
The 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 was streamed live on the social media handles of Merck Foundation (https://apo-opa.info/3Ykd3hH) and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (https://apo-opa.info/3SfA0AF).
Link to the Facebook live steam of Inaugural Session of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary & African First Ladies High Level Panel: https://apo-opa.info/3lcxQp9
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 39 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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