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Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany together with First Ladies of Africa who are also their Ambassadors, Ministries of Health, Education, Communication & Gender, mark ‘International Women’s Day 2025’, through their impactful development programs, continuing their 13-year legacy of empowering women and girls.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and One of the Most Influential African Women for Six Consecutive Years (2019 - 2024) expressed, “Happy International Women’s Day to all the remarkable women and girls around the world!
Empowering girls and women is at the core of all our initiatives and programs at Merck Foundation. I recognize the immense potential of women to thrive, succeed and excel in any domain they choose, yet they often lack the conducive environment to fully realize their capabilities, especially in underserved communities.
Therefore, together with our Ambassadors, The First Ladies of Africa, we mark International Women’s Day every day since the last 13 years through our development programs and initiatives such as ‘More Than a Mother’, ‘Merck Foundation Capacity Advancement’, ‘Educating Linda’, and ‘STEM Program’."
"Merck Foundation More Than a Mother" is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile and childless women through access to information, education and change of mindset.
“I am thrilled to share that out of the 2,230 scholarships awarded across 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties, 1046 scholarships, that is nearly 50% have been granted to female medical graduates, empowering them to become future healthcare experts and leaders.
I am especially proud that we have awarded over 680 scholarships to young doctors, dedicated to advancing women’s health by strengthening reproductive, sexual health, and fertility care capacity.”
Merck Foundation CEO strongly believes that Education is one of the most critical areas of women empowerment.
“I am happy to share that through our “Educating Linda” Program, together with my dear sisters, our Ambassadors, we are contributing to the future of over 700 girls by providing scholarships to continue their education and also providing essential school items for thousands of schoolgirls in many African countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, The Gambia, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cabo Verde and more.
Moreover, we have benefitted thousands of girls through our awareness campaign through many initiates like the release of inspiring songs, children's storybooks, animation films, TV Program and awards for best media, song, film & fashion designs, all aimed at promoting girl education today for women's empowerment tomorrow,” emphasized Senator Rasha Kelej."
Merck Foundation also actively empowers women in Science and Technology through its STEM Program and the annual Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit (MARS) Awards that recognize and celebrate the Best African Women Researchers and Best Young African Researchers, fostering research excellence.
“Our goal is to empower women and young African researchers, enhance their research capacity, and promote their contributions to STEM,” emphasized Dr. Kelej.
Watch the Episodes of “Our Africa by Merck Foundation” TV program on Supporting Girl Education:
Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5wpzOr22l0
Episode 11: https://youtu.be/jGz6yNSik7g
Episode 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjf0w8viQn4
Listen to Merck Foundation song about Supporting Girl Education here:
- Watch, share & subscribe to the “Girl Can” song here, sung by two famous singers, Irene and Cwezi from Liberia and Ghana respectively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LP92vAWYgs
- Watch, share & subscribe the “Like Them” song here, sung by Kenneth, a famous singer from Uganda: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=jCo52vtz3Q0
- Watch, share & subscribe “Take me to School” song here, sung by Wezi, Afro-soul singer from Zambia, to support girls’ education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWcujLMbKSg
- Watch share & subscribe “Tu Podes Sim” Portuguese song, which means “Yes, You Can” in English by Blaze and Tamyris Moiane, singers from Mozambique in English here: https://youtu.be/BGWR2S-mxl4
- Watch, share & subscribe “Brighter day” song by Sean K and Cwesi Oteng from Namibia and Ghana respectively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3_C4uyFuZk
Watch the Merck Foundation Animation Films to Support Girl Education :
Ride into to Future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piz_6Ob68mI
Jackeline's Rescue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It1D-XEUjeY
Read the Merck Foundation storybook addressing the importance of Girl Education:
- To read Educating Linda Storybook, pls visit: https://merckfoundation.com/merckfoundation/public/uploads/digital_library/1623068469_6affa28d861b48da41cf.pdf
- To read Jackline’s Rescue Storybook, pls visit: https://merckfoundation.com/merckfoundation/public/uploads/digital_library/1639990408_efbd2346fb16c605c12d.pdf
- To read Ride into the Future Storybook, pls visit: https://merckfoundation.com/merckfoundation/public/uploads/digital_library/1639993429_cca7a831eeb6dbe2c188.pdf
- To read Not Who You Are Storybook, pls visit: https://merckfoundation.com/merckfoundation/public/uploads/digital_library/1639992445_87746fd4b1fd877162a7.pdf
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Website: https://merck-foundation.com/
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 & scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education 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, X, Instagram, YouTube, Threads and Flickr.
The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors.