PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, April 7, 2022/ — Merck Foundation contributes to the development of Africa in key sectors such as health, education, awareness, and economic empowerment; Merck Foundation provided more than 1300 scholarships for doctors from 50 countries; Merck Foundation has been recently recognized as the 2022 NGO of the Year, the Most Influential NGO in Africa whose collective efforts is Shaping Africa’s Future.
Merck Foundation continues to create an impact in raising awareness about a wide range of social and health issues such as Ending Child marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV, Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education and Women Empowerment
20 African First Ladies as Ambassadors of Merck Foundation “More than a Mother” campaign,
9 Social Media Channels with more than 4 Million Followers,
More than 25 songs in English, French, Portuguese and Arabic
More than 2000 videos and soon a Pan African TV Show to be Broadcasted on National TV channels across the continent
10 children’s storybooks in three languages: English, French and Portuguese
8 different awards for best media coverage, fashion designs, films, and songs in four languages
Establishing the first ‘Fashion and Art community with Purpose’ to break the silence about social and health issues
1000s of girls from 15 African countries to be supported through scholarships or school items annually,
2000 media persons from 25 countries trained to better raise awareness about different social and health issues.
Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany mark “World Health Day” 2022 together with 20 African First Ladies with the announcement of 8 important awards on health and social issues for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.
Sharing her thoughts this “World Health Day” 2022, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and One of 100 Most Influential Africans 2019, 2020 & 2021 expressed, “Every day at Merck Foundation is about Health and improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in our beloved African continent and other countries.
Merck Foundation works closely with partners that are African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Education, Information & Communication, Gender, Academia, Research Institutions, Media, and Art in building healthcare capacity and addressing health and social issues.
Merck Foundation is making history and legacy in Africa by training the first Fertility specialists, Embryology, Oncologists, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Respiratory experts and more in many countries.
Merck Foundation programs have greatly contributed to building professional healthcare capacity through providing more than 1300 scholarships to doctors from 50 countries. Scholarships of one year, two-year and three-year Diploma and Master degree in more than 32 critical and underserved specialties are provided to these doctors.”
This year on World Health Day, Merck foundation announce two themes of Awards for Media, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers and Musicians/ Singers. The themes of the two categories of awards are – 1) Breaking Infertility Stigma, Support Girls’ Education, End Child Marriage, End FGM, Stopping GBV and/ or Women Empowerment at all levels and 2) Promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
“I look forward to receiving all your exciting entries”, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized.
Merck Foundation has been recently recognized as the 2022 NGO of the Year, the Most Influential NGO in Africa whose collective efforts are shaping Africa’s future. Merck Foundation works closely with partners that are African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Education, Information & Communication, Gender, Academia, Research Institutions, Media and Art in building healthcare capacity and addressing health, social & economic challenges in developing countries and under-served communities.
Merck Foundation’s iconic “More Than a Mother” campaign is a strong movement that aims to empower women living with Infertility through access to information, education, change of mind-set, and economic empowerment. It supports countries in defining policies to enhance access to regulated, safe, effective, and equitable fertility and reproductive care solutions. It defines interventions to break the stigma around infertile women and raises awareness about infertility prevention, management, and male infertility.
In accordance with this year’s theme for World Health Day – “Our Planet Our Health”, Merck Foundation has developed Merck Foundation Sustainability Initiative called “Sustainability is a Shared Responsibility” (SSR) & “Fashion & Art with Purpose” community. The aim of these initiatives is to educate, engage & empower youth, young entrepreneurs, fashion designers and new talents to raise awareness and sensitize communities about a wide range of critical social and health issues through their creations and work on a daily basis in Africa and beyond.
Merck Foundation believes Art and Fashion should have a purpose beyond entertainment and looking good. Therefore, Merck Foundation is continuing its efforts of raising awareness against such sensitive issues through Our African community of Art and Fashion with Purpose. The Foundation will soon be launching a special television program that will address all relevant social and health issues in a very interesting, attractive but beneficial way.
“I strongly believe that Media and Art play a critical role in creating a culture shift in our communities. Hence, to encourage the Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields we have announced the call for applications for our 8 important awards. We are conducting these awards in partnership with my dear sisters, the African First Ladies. I am excited and looking forward to all the applications this year!”, added Senator, Dr. Kelej.
Details of the Awards:
- Merck Foundation Africa Media Recognition Awards “More Than a Mother” 2022: Media representatives and media students are invited to showcase their work to raise awareness about one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th July 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3LQdh9U) to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Film Awards “More Than a Mother” 2022:
All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions, or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary, or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to address one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th July 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3xb1jTR) to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Fashion Awards “More Than a Mother” 2022: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th July 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3DMPvbM)to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Song Awards “More Than a Mother” 2022 All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to address one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th July 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3ujp1f7) to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”:
Media representatives are invited to showcase their work through strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/35MMHyO) to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Film Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3LKBMoL) to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3x6Mv930 to view more details.
- Merck Foundation Song Awards 2022 “Diabetes & Hypertension”: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2022. Click here (https://bit.ly/3jfvOjC) to view more details.
Entries for all the awards are to be submitted via email to: submit@merck-foundation.com
More photos: https://we.tl/t-LyIf0zBVqQ
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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 and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth.
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