{"id":9107,"date":"2026-04-14T16:45:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T12:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=9107"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:47:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T12:47:02","slug":"merck-foundation-and-africa-reproductive-care-society-arcs-together-conduct-the-3rd-online-annual-world-infertility-awareness-summit-wias-2024-press-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=9107","title":{"rendered":"Merck Foundation and Africa Reproductive Care society (ARCS) together conduct the 3rd Online Annual World Infertility Awareness Summit (WIAS 2024) & Press Conference."},"content":{"rendered":"

Merck Foundation<\/strong> and<\/strong> Africa Reproductive Care society (ARCS) <\/strong>together conducted the Third Edition<\/strong> of \u201cWorld Infertility Awareness Summit (WIAS) 2024\u201d. <\/strong>The Summit was co-chaired by the Chairperson of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS) together with <\/em>Prof. Oladapo Ashiru OFR, President of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS), The Nigerian Academy of Medicine Specialties and myself. <\/em><\/strong>It was attended byDr. Edem Hiadzi, Immediate past President of the Fertility Society Of Ghana (FERSOG);<\/strong> Prof. Justin E. MBOLOKO, Immediate Past President, Inter-African Fertility Research and Application Study Group (GIERAF) <\/strong>and Dr. Moustapha Thiam, Obstetrician Gynecologist IVF President, Senegal. <\/strong>This summit is conducted annually to mark the world fertility awareness month and raise awareness about infertility stigma, male infertility and infertility prevention in Africa and beyond.<\/p>

We marked\u00a0World Fertility Awareness Month\u00a0<\/strong>with our Merck Foundation Alumni, fertility and reproductive care experts, presidents of fertility societies and members of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS) and our media partners through 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0Merck Foundation\u00a0\u201cWorld Infertility Awareness Summit\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>The summit is part of our efforts towards raising awareness about infertility. especially male infertility, and to sensitizing communities to end the stigma associated with infertility and empower infertile women & couples through access to information, education, health and change of mindset. I am very proud to share that we, at Merck Foundation, have provided till today more than\u00a0574 scholarships\u00a0of Embryology, Fertility and Sexual & Reproductive care to young doctors from 39 different countries<\/strong>\u00a0in Africa and Asia.\u00a0<\/strong>Many of our Alumni are trained to be the first local experts in their countries, where they never used to have local embryologists or fertility specialists before our program, such as\u00a0The Gambia, Burundi, Guinea, Chad, Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Malawi, Congo and more.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Moreover,\u00a0Merck Foundation<\/strong>\u00a0has trained\u00a0more than 3200 media representatives<\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a0more than 35 countries<\/strong>\u00a0to raise community awareness and break the stigma around infertility and infertile and childless women.<\/p>

During the program,\u00a0Merck Foundation<\/strong>\u00a0showcased our\u00a0animation film\u00a0\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong>, adapted from the\u00a0storybook, to emphasize strong family values of love and respect from a young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and the resulted domestic violence in the future.\u00a0Together with African First Ladies<\/strong>, and other important partners, we are making history and reshaping the landscape of fertility & Reproductive care across Africa and beyond.<\/p>

Watch\u00a0\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d\u00a0animation film here:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

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