Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck Germany marks the International Women's Day-themed #EachforEqual through their Merck More Than a Mother campaign.
To mark IWD this year, Merck Foundation has also launched the "Educating Linda" program to empower girls through education.
"We at Merck Foundation celebrate Women's Day every single day! Merck Foundation has been empowering women and girls through its programs and initiatives. One of our key campaigns is 'Merck More Than a Mother' which is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education, and change of mind-sets", explained Dr RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother.
In many cultures in Africa, infertility is a huge stigma and women are solely blamed for it. The women suffer discrimination, violence and are mistreatment due to their inability to bear children, although 50 per cent of infertility cases are due to male infertility.
Therefore, there is a huge need to create a culture shift to respect women whether they are mothers or not, encourage men to speak up about their infertility and support their wives during the treatment journey.
"We are proud to have partnered with 18 African First Ladies who have become the ambassadors of our unique and historic campaign "Merck more than a Mother" to empower infertile women and eliminate the stigma around infertility in their countries and across Africa", added Dr Rasha Kelej.
Moreover, Merck Foundation has mobilized and worked closely with ministries of health, gender, information and education, media, art, fashion, community leaders and scientists to empower infertile and childless women and break the stigma of infertility.
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Merck Foundation has worked with local singers, film-makers, media partners and fashion designers to be able to raise awareness and break the stigma of infertility.
Through these initiatives, Merck Foundation wishes to sensitize our communities that women are more than just mothers and men are more than just fathers. Also, it takes both a man and a woman to have a child.
Merck Foundation has produced and launched more than 20 songs with famous singers from Burundi, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and the Gambia to raise awareness about male infertility and to break the stigma around infertility in Africa.
"It is an honour for us to have the First Lady of Burundi, Denise Nkurunziza and the President of Liberia, George Weah do their own songs for our campaign. This shows their commitment towards our campaign and speaks volumes about our work to empower childless women", emphasized Dr Rasha Kelej.
Merck Foundation has also launched children's stories in African countries. The story has been localized and launched in the elementary level school of many African countries.
The storybook emphasizes strong family values of love and respect from a young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and resulted in domestic violence against women in the future.
Moreover, Merck Foundation launched 'Educating Linda' in 2019 to help young girls who are unprivileged but brilliant to continue their education.
"The spirit of the project is to provide an opportunity for such girls to pursue their dreams and reach their potential through access to education. It has been seen that many girls drop out of school due to a lack of basic necessities such as fees and uniforms. Merck Foundation is supporting the education of some of the high performing girls by providing scholarships and grants that can cover school fees, school uniforms and other essentials including notebooks, pens, and mathematical instruments, so they can reach their potential and pursue their dreams", explained Dr Rasha Kelej.
Educating Linda program will be contributing to the future of these girls as part of the 'Merck More Than a Mother' campaign in Africa.
"This is how we celebrate Women's Day every day. Empowering women and youth is part of Merck Foundation's DNA!" concluded Dr Rasha Kelej.
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