{"id":8960,"date":"2026-04-09T13:29:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8960"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:46:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:46:19","slug":"message-from-ceo-of-merck-foundation-senator-dr-rasha-kelej-on-the-announcement-of-the-winners-of-their-song-awards-more-than-a-mother-diabetes-and-hypertension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8960","title":{"rendered":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej on the announcement of the winners of their SONG Awards \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d &amp; \u201cDiabetes and Hypertension\u201d 2023"},"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\/04\/MAINIM11-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MAINIM11.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, in partnership with the First Ladies of African and Asian Countries, announces the 2025 Call for Applications for two Merck Foundation SONG Awards &#8211; apply now at\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"mailto:submit@merck-foundation.com\"><strong>submit@merck-foundation.com<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Merck Foundation Song Awards \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d to address one or more of the following social issues such as:\u00a0Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV and\/ or Women Empowerment,<\/strong><\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Merck Foundation Song Awards \u201cDiabetes and Hypertension\u201d to promote healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention of Diabetes and Hypertension and healthy lifestyle promotion in Africa.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Merck Foundation,<\/strong>&nbsp;the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, in partnership with the&nbsp;<strong>African First Ladies<\/strong>, announced the winners of Merck Foundation\u2019s Song Awards 2023under two themes &#8211;&nbsp;<strong>\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>\u201cDiabetes and Hypertension.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><p>The awards were announced by&nbsp;<strong>Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation&nbsp;<\/strong>and President of&nbsp;<strong>Merck Foundation \u2018More Than a Mother\u2019<\/strong>&nbsp;campaign, together with&nbsp;<strong>African First Ladies<\/strong>, who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation \u2018More Than a Mother\u2019 campaign.<\/p><p><strong>Senator Dr. Kelej<\/strong>&nbsp;said, \u201cI feel so elated to announce the winners of Merck Foundation\u2019s \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d and \u201cDiabetes and Hypertension\u201d Song Awards in partnership with my dear sisters,&nbsp;<strong>African First Ladies,&nbsp;<\/strong>who are also the Ambassadors of \u201cMerck Foundation More Than a Mother\u201d. I congratulate and applaud our 13 talented winners.<\/p><p>Songs are a powerful medium for addressing and influencing social and health issues across Africa. This year\u2019s entries were exceptional, with lyrics that effectively conveyed impactful messages, sparking meaningful thought and dialogue within communities.\u201d<\/p><p>The theme of&nbsp;<strong>\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Song Awards<\/strong>&nbsp;was to raise awareness on any of the following social issues such as:&nbsp;<strong>Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV and\/or Women Empowerment at all levels<\/strong>&nbsp;and the theme of&nbsp;<strong>\u201cDiabetes and Hypertension\u201d Song Awards<\/strong>&nbsp;was to&nbsp;<strong>promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension&nbsp;<\/strong>in the African countries.<\/p><p><strong>Senator Rasha<\/strong>&nbsp;added, \u201cI have always believed that music and art have the power to evoke emotions, which in turn inspire engagement and action. This belief led us to introduce our Song Awards in 2019. To date, we have celebrated close to 50 winners.<\/p><p>Moreover, we have produced over 30 songs and music videos to address many critical and sensitive issues across Africa.\u201d<\/p><p><strong>Click here to listen to Merck Foundation Songs:<\/strong><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/videos\/Merck-Foundation-Songs\">https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/videos\/Merck-Foundation-Songs<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Here is the list of Merck Foundation \u2018More Than a Mother\u2019 Song Awards 2023 winners:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong><u>English Language<\/u><\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Kobusinge Jackline,\u00a0UGANDA- FIRST POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Women Empowerment<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Mark Wamono Mulwanyi,\u00a0UGANDA- SECOND POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Women Empowerment and GBV<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Aobakwe Senokwanyana,\u00a0SOUTH AFRICA- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: GBV<\/em><\/p><p><strong><u>French Language<\/u><\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>VITA NKANZA Dep\u2019s,\u00a0DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO- FIRST POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Child Marriage<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Alain Oyono,\u00a0SENEGAL- SECOND POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: FGM<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>MASSANGA MARCELIN JOWANE,\u00a0CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: FGM<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Ndifonka Nde,\u00a0CAMEROON- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: FGM<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Bouanga Kaba Paterne Lyonel,\u00a0CONGO BR- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: GBV and FGM<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>WANA-BONAH Romuald Euvral Evlin,\u00a0CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Women Empowerment<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Dangawana Mogoto Samuel,\u00a0CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: GBV and FGM<\/em><\/p><p><br><strong>Here is the list of winners of Merck Foundation \u2018Diabetes &amp; Hypertension\u2019 Song Awards 2023:<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>FIRST POSITION:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Johannes Medard Tairo,\u00a0TANZANIA- FIRST POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Diabetes &amp; Hypertension (English)<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Schela MUTAKA,\u00a0DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO- SECOND POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Diabetes &amp; Hypertension (French)<\/em><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Dennis Kimani Wanjiku,\u00a0KENYA- THIRD POSITION<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><em>Theme: Diabetes &amp; Hypertension (English)<\/em><\/p><p><br><strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej<\/strong>&nbsp;further added, \u201cI would also like to announce the Call for Applications for the&nbsp;<strong>2025 Edition of the<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>two<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Merck Foundation Song Awards \u2018More Than a Mother\u2019 and \u2018Diabetes &amp; Hypertension\u2019,&nbsp;<\/strong>in partnership with<strong>&nbsp;First Ladies of Africa and Asia<\/strong>.<\/p><p>\u201cI invite entries from all Singers, Musicians and young talents, to contribute towards making a difference in society with their inspiring songs with strong and relevant messages about critical and sensitive issues we face in our continent. Be the voice of the voiceless, break the silence and let\u2019s all join hands to create a cultural shift\u201d,&nbsp;<strong>Senator Kelej added<\/strong>.<\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Details of Merck Foundation SONG Awards 2025:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"596\" height=\"842\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-MTM-Song-Awards-2025-_-General-English3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8962\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-MTM-Song-Awards-2025-_-General-English3.jpg 596w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-MTM-Song-Awards-2025-_-General-English3-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>1.&nbsp;Merck Foundation Song Awards 2025 \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Theme for the awards:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Address one or more of the following social issues: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV and \/or Women Empowerment.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Who can apply:<\/strong>&nbsp;All Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a song with the aim to address one or more of the above-mentioned social issues.<\/p><p><strong>Categories:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>ENGLISH, FRENCH, PORTUGUESE, AND LOCAL LANGUAGE<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Submission deadline:&nbsp;30<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;September 2025.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"596\" height=\"843\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Lifestyle-Song-Awards-2025-_-General-English2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8963\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Lifestyle-Song-Awards-2025-_-General-English2.jpg 596w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Lifestyle-Song-Awards-2025-_-General-English2-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>2.&nbsp;Merck Foundation SONG Awards 2025 \u201cDiabetes &amp; Hypertension\u201d<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Theme for the awards:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Promote healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Who can apply:<\/strong>&nbsp;All Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a song with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.<\/p><p><strong>Categories:<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>ENGLISH, FRENCH, PORTUGUESE, AND LOCAL LANGUAGE<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Submission deadline:&nbsp;30<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;October 2025.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MESSAG11.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Merck Foundation,&nbsp;the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, in partnership with the&nbsp;African First Ladies, announced the winners of Merck Foundation\u2019s Song Awards 2023under two themes &#8211;&nbsp;\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d&nbsp;and&nbsp;\u201cDiabetes and Hypertension.\u201d The awards were announced by&nbsp;Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation&nbsp;and President of&nbsp;Merck Foundation \u2018More Than a Mother\u2019&nbsp;campaign, together with&nbsp;African First Ladies, who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8961,"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 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