{"id":8018,"date":"2026-02-25T16:50:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8018"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:50:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:50:46","slug":"merck-foundation-provided-1195-scholarships-to-women-healthcare-providers-to-empower-women-in-science-international-day-of-girls-women-in-science-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8018","title":{"rendered":"Merck Foundation provided 1195 scholarships to women healthcare providers to empower women in science &#8211; International Day of Girls &amp; Women in Science 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8019\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Main_-Merck-Foundation-CEO-marks-International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Merck Foundation and African first Ladies mark International Day of Girls &amp; Women in Science 2026 by empowering women in STEM and supporting girl education<\/strong><\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Dr. Rasha Kelej, Merck Foundation CEO together with The First Ladies of Africa mark \u2018International Day of Girls &amp; Women in Science 2026\u2019 through their \u2018Scholarship Program\u2019, \u2018MARS Awards\u2019 and \u2018Educating Linda\u2019 Program<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/International-Day-of-Girls-and-Women-in-Science-2026-7.jpg.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks&nbsp;<strong>\u2018International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026\u2019<\/strong>&nbsp;together with the<strong>&nbsp;First Ladies of Africa<\/strong>, and partners including&nbsp;<strong>African Ministries of Health, Education, Gender &amp; Information and Academia through their \u201cScholarship Program\u201d and \u201cMARS Awards\u201d.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation&nbsp;<\/strong>emphasized,&nbsp;\u201cAs we mark the International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026, we reaffirm Merck Foundation\u2019s strong commitment to empowering women in science and technology through our&nbsp;<strong>\u201cScholarship Program\u201d<\/strong>, as a part of which we provide specialized medical scholarships to African women healthcare providers, and through the&nbsp;<strong>\u201cMARS Awards\u201d<\/strong>, through which we recognize and empower outstanding women scientists in STEM.\u201d<\/p><p>Merck Foundation has provided more than&nbsp;<strong>2,500 scholarships to healthcare professionals from 52 countries across 44 critical and underserved medical specialties, and nearly 1,200 scholarships have been provided to women medical graduates.<\/strong><\/p><p>\u201cI am proud to that nearly&nbsp;<strong>50% of our total 2500+ scholarships have been provided to women healthcare providers.<\/strong>&nbsp;This is a significant achievement toward reducing the gender gap in science and strengthening women\u2019s leadership in STEM as while women have made remarkable progress globally, they remain significantly underrepresented in scientific and technological fields. At Merck Foundation, we work every day to bridge this gap.\u201d Added&nbsp;<strong>Dr. Rasha Kelej.<\/strong><\/p><p>Merck Foundation annually launches their&nbsp;<strong>MARS Awards<\/strong>&nbsp;to encourage and recognize&nbsp;<strong>\u2018Best African Women Researchers\u2019<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>&#8216;Best Young African Researcher\u2019.<\/strong>&nbsp;The aim of MARS Awards is to empower women and young African researchers, advance their research capacity and promote their contribution to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Merck Foundation has celebrated more than 90 winners s far.<\/p><p>Recently Merck Foundation CEO hosted the virtual Award Ceremony together with their partners&nbsp;<strong>Africa Reproductive Care Society \u2013 ARCS and Manipal University&nbsp;<\/strong>to recognize African Researchers for their valuable research work and contribution to empowering women and youth in STEM in Africa with special focus on&nbsp;<strong>\u2018The Role of Scientific Research in Women Health and Reproductive &amp; Fertility Care\u2019.&nbsp;<\/strong>She also announced the<strong>&nbsp;Call for Applications for MARS Awards 2026.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Watch Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit MARS 2025 Award Ceremony video here:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/RtIiZp-amrM\"><strong>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/RtIiZp-amrM<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><strong>Apply for MARS Awards 2026:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Merck-Foundation-Africa-Research-Summit-Application-Form\"><strong>https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Merck-Foundation-Africa-Research-Summit-Application-Form<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p>Merck Foundation strongly believes that Education is one of the most critical areas of women empowerment and serves as the base and key factor in driving an impactful change.<\/p><p>\u201cAs a part of our Educating Linda program, together with my dear sisters, the First Ladies of Africa, we have year to date provided more than&nbsp;<strong>1200 annual scholarships<\/strong>&nbsp;to deserving yet underprivileged&nbsp;<strong>African schoolgirls from 19 countries<\/strong>, enabling them to complete their education and reach their full potential,\u201d shared&nbsp;<strong>Dr. Kelej.<\/strong><\/p><p>Moreover, Merck Foundation is raising awareness about the importance of supporting girls\u2019 education through a range of creative initiatives, including inspiring children\u2019s storybooks, animation films, awareness songs, and dedicated episodes on this theme through their&nbsp;<strong>Our Africa by Merck Foundation<\/strong>&nbsp;TV program.<\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Watch episodes of Our Africa, focusing on Supporting Girl Education:<\/strong><\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Episode 2:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"&#039;Our Africa by Merck Foundation&#039; TV Program, Ep.2: Ending Child Marriage &amp; Supporting Girl Education\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g5wpzOr22l0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Episode 11:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"&#039;Our Africa by Merck Foundation&#039; TV Program Ep. 11: Yes to Girls Education.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jGz6yNSik7g?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Episode 14:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"&#039;Our Africa by Merck Foundation&#039; by Merck Foundation Ep.14: Yes to Girls Education\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QjwRnP-Zi60?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks&nbsp;\u2018International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026\u2019&nbsp;together with the&nbsp;First Ladies of Africa, and partners including&nbsp;African Ministries of Health, Education, Gender &amp; Information and Academia through their \u201cScholarship Program\u201d and \u201cMARS Awards\u201d. Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation&nbsp;emphasized,&nbsp;\u201cAs we mark the International [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Merck Foundation provided 1195 scholarships to women healthcare providers to empower women in science - International Day of Girls &amp; Women in Science 2026 | Rasha Kelej<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8018\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merck Foundation provided 1195 scholarships to women healthcare providers to empower women in science - International Day of Girls &amp; Women in Science 2026 | Rasha Kelej\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks&nbsp;\u2018International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026\u2019&nbsp;together with the&nbsp;First Ladies of Africa, and partners including&nbsp;African Ministries of Health, Education, Gender &amp; Information and Academia through their \u201cScholarship Program\u201d and \u201cMARS Awards\u201d. 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Women in Science 2026 | Rasha Kelej","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8018","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Merck Foundation provided 1195 scholarships to women healthcare providers to empower women in science - International Day of Girls &amp; Women in Science 2026 | Rasha Kelej","og_description":"Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks&nbsp;\u2018International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026\u2019&nbsp;together with the&nbsp;First Ladies of Africa, and partners including&nbsp;African Ministries of Health, Education, Gender &amp; Information and Academia through their \u201cScholarship Program\u201d and \u201cMARS Awards\u201d. 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