- Merck Foundation CEO and Malawi First Lady meet other 12 African First Ladies 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 Malawi.
- Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with Malawi First lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond.
Watch the partnership journey
Watch the overview of the 2-day Hybrid 9th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here:
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. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “Our long-term partnership with my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi & 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 discussed our joint programs and strategy during our meeting at the 9th edition of our Luminary and, report its impact in the country. I am proud to share that together we have provided 40 scholarships to our local doctors in critical and underserved specialties such as Diabetes, Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Fertility & Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive care, and Clinical Psychiatry. I am looking forward to transforming patient care in Malawi through our long-term partnership.”
H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” emphasized, “Our partnership started in 2020 and Merck Foundation programs have been beneficial for the people of my country, in a very short span.
I am proud to share that as a part of ‘Empowering Berna’ program, 13 women have transformed their lives as they got a chance to establish their own small businesses so that they can be financially independent. Moreover, 40 scholarships have been provided to young Malawian doctors in 32 critical medical specialties.
I am also very happy to initiate Merck Foundation’s important program “Educating Linda” through which 60 Malawian school girls were provided scholarships to continue their education till they graduate. This is a very important initiative to empower our girls in education. My journey with Merck Foundation has definitely been amazing, very impactful and efficient.”
Watch the video of The First Lady of Malawi & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here:
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, the future strategy of 2023 was discussed and the impact of their partnership programs since 2020, were announced.
“I personally enjoyed our 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. It was my favorite part of MFFLI committee, I hope we keep doing this every year”, Senator Rasha Kelej emphasized.
Watch the video of MFFLI committee meeting:
During the Luminary, an important one to one meeting between The First Lady of Malawi 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 Malawi.
Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej meeting with Malawi First Lady, H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA:
Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej receiving Malawi First Lady, H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA:
Together with Malawi First Lady, Merck Foundation has provided 40 scholarships to local doctors in Malawi in critical and underserved specialties so far. 7 scholarships have been provided to doctors in Fertility and Embryology, and 11 scholarships for 1 year PG Diploma and 2-year master’s degree in Sexual and Reproductive Medicine. This has contributed and will continue to contribute towards breaking the infertility stigma and empowering infertile women through access to information, education and change of mindset.
1 scholarship has been provided for PG Diploma in Internal Medicine, and 1 scholarship has been provided for PG Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry.
Moreover, 20 scholarships have been provided for training, Fellowship, PG Diploma and master’s degree programs in Oncology, Cancer and Clinical Oncology, Diabetes, and Endocrinology. This will enable doctors to establish their own diabetes and oncology care centers in the country.
“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. Through our partnership with First Lady of Malawi along with Ministry of Health and Communications of Malawi, we can impact the lives of people in the most disadvantaged communities in Malawi and beyond, leading them to a better future”, said Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Merck Foundation in partnership with The Malawi First Lady has also initiated “Educating Linda” Program, which is very important for Malawian girls as through this program, scholarships are provided to 60 Malawian girls to continue their education till they graduate. Additionally, Merck Foundation distributed 3000 essential school items sets to school-going girls to support them.
Moreover, Merck Foundation together with The First Lady of Malawi and The Ministry of Education launched three children’s storybooks titled: “Chosadziwa Phiris’ story” to emphasize on the strong family values of love and respect from a young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and resulted domestic violence in the future, “Educating AlinafeStory” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education and “Make the Right Choice” to raise awareness about coronavirus prevention amongst children and youth, “Jackline’s Rescue” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education, “Not Who You Are” to teach boys to love and respect their future wives and eliminate domestic violence, “Ride into the Future” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education and “Sugar free Jude” to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness on the early detection and prevention of Diabetes. 30,000 copies of these storybooks have been distributed to school students of Malawi, thousands of more copies are to be distributed soon.
English | French | Portuguese
English | French | Portuguese
English | French | Portuguese
English | French | Portuguese
English | French | Portuguese
English | French | Portuguese
English | French | Portuguese
Merck Foundation also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in partnership with The First Lady of Malawi 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 Foundationand 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 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 www.merck-foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Flicker.