{"id":8674,"date":"2026-04-07T16:41:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8674"},"modified":"2026-04-07T16:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:49:01","slug":"message-from-ceo-of-merck-foundation-senator-dr-rasha-kelej-on-marking-world-assisted-reproductive-technology-day-2025-with-african-and-asian-first-ladies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8674","title":{"rendered":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej on Marking \u2018World Assisted Reproductive Technology Day 2025\u2019 with African and Asian First Ladies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO with the First Ladies of Africa and Asia during the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>

I am immensely proud to join hands with African and\u00a0Asian First Ladies, the Ambassadors of our \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Campaign<\/strong>, to mark\u00a0World Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Day 2025.<\/strong>\u00a0Together, we are transforming the landscape of fertility care and empowering women across Africa and Asia through impactful initiatives under Merck Foundation\u00a0\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Campaign<\/strong>.<\/p>

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At Merck Foundation we mark\u00a0World Assisted Reproductive Technology Day\u00a0<\/strong>by building Fertility and Reproductive Care capacity and empowering infertile women by improving their access to information, change of mindset and quality & equitable fertility care across Africa & Asia as part of our \u2018More than a Mother\u2019 campaign. I am very proud to share that we have provided till today\u00a0716 scholarships of Embryology, Fertility and Sexual & Reproductive care to young doctors from 41 countries in Africa and Asia to be the local Embryologists, Fertility & Reproductive care experts in their countries.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Moreover, many of our Alumni were trained to be the first local experts in their countries where they never had even a single local embryologist or fertility specialist before our program such as;\u00a0The Gambia, Burundi, Guinea, Chad, Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Malawi, Congo, Mozambique and more<\/strong>. Together with African First Ladies, and other important partners, we are making history and reshaping the landscape of\u00a0fertility & Reproductive care across Africa and beyond.<\/strong><\/p>

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Through our \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Campaign, we have empowered communities by training\u00a0716 doctors from 41 countries in Embryology, Fertility, and Sexual & Reproductive Care, enabling countries like The Gambia, Burundi, and Sierra Leone to have their first local specialists.<\/strong>\u00a0This transformative work, part of our broader effort to provide\u00a02,280 scholarships across 44 critical specialties<\/strong>, is strengthening healthcare systems and improving access to quality fertility care.<\/p>

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Our \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Campaign is dedicated to breaking infertility stigma, raising awareness about infertility prevention and male infertility, and improving access to equitable fertility care. We have trained over 3,700 media representatives from more than 35 countries <\/strong>to amplify these messages and create a cultural shift. Additionally, our \u201cEmpowering Berna\u201d<\/strong> initiative supports childless and infertile women in countries like Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi by providing training to establish small businesses, enabling them to become independent and rebuild their lives. It\u2019s all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to lead a fulfilling life, with or without a child.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>

We have also launched creative initiatives to address infertility stigma, including the \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Animation Film<\/strong>, Children\u2019s Storybooks in English, French, and Portuguese, <\/strong>and our pan-African TV program \u201cOur Africa,<\/strong>\u201d which features episodes dedicated to this cause. Furthermore, we have released about 30 songs, including impactful tracks like \u201cPlus qu’une MERE\u201d by Ms. Lucky-Lou from Burundi and \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d by artists from Ghana, Zambia, and The Gambia, to raise awareness and inspire change.<\/strong><\/p>

\u201cMore Than a Mother Animation Film\u201d that raises awareness about breaking infertility stigma, infertility prevention and male infertility, watch here: <\/strong><\/p>

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