LAGOS, Nigeria, April 2022/ — Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KgaA Germany, in partnership with Africa Reproductive Care society (ARCS) conducted their first Joint Annual Summit 2022.
The Summit was co-chaired by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign, and also appointed as the Chairperson of “African Reproductive Care Society (ARCS)” and Prof. Oladapo Ashiru OFR, President of “African Reproductive Care Society (ARCS)”, and President of The Nigerian Academy of Medicine Specialties.
During the summit, ARCS announced the free membership for all Merck Foundation Alumni and partners from healthcare providers, Media, Artists, Policy Makers, Medical Societies, Academia and Community Leaders and members who attended this annual summit online, with the aim to emphasize their important role in creating a culture shift to break Infertility Stigma and Empower Infertile and Childless Women & Couples through access to information, education, health, change of mindset, moreover improve access to quality and equitable women healthcare and better reproductive and fertility care across the continent.
Speaking about the success of their first joint summit, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of African Reproductive Care Society (ARCS) emphasized, “Our joint summit was conducted under the umbrella of Merck Foundation’s “More Than a Mother” Campaign and has been an effort towards initiating a multi-sectorial approach towards sensitizing communities to end the stigma associated with infertility and empower infertile women & couples through access to information, education, health and change of mindset.”
Dr. Kelej added, “We are very happy to conduct our first joint annual summit 2022 with an important and inclusive Society like Africa Reproductive Care Society. I’m proud that our first summit was a great success, and we had the Ministers of Health, Child Care, Gender, Social Welfare and Population from various African Countries, attending as a panelist.
Moreover, we had more than 500 participants including Merck Foundation partners and Alumni who are future Fertility Specialists, Reproductive and Sexual Care Specialists, and Embryologists, Healthcare Providers, Policy Makers, Media Professionals, Artists, Fashion Designers, Community Leaders from 47 countries in Africa and beyond”.
Prof. Oladapo Ashiru OFR, President of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS) said, “I am proud to partner with Merck Foundation, one of the most influential foundations of the continent. Africa carries a high burden of reproductive ill-health, among these, infertility has been a relatively neglected problem for many years. Our first virtual summit focused on these points, and we pledge to work with Merck Foundation to eradicate this stigma and build the needed women’s healthcare capacity including reproductive & sexual care and fertility care throughout the continent.
I am confident about the impactful programs of Merck Foundation that are already contributed to raising awareness and building fertility and reproductive care capacity in Africa. I also thank Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej for her support and innovative ideas for Merck Foundation’s iconic ‘More Than a Mother’ Campaign. We look forward to enriching this partnership and achieving many milestones in Africa”.
The objectives of the Summit were:
To discuss a multi-sectorial approach to sensitize our communities to end Infertility stigma and empower infertile women and couples through access to information, education, health, and change of mindset
To discuss the challenges and define solutions to improve access to quality and equitable Infertility care via building Fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries
To highlight Preventive care in Reproductive Medicine
To raise Awareness about Male Infertility
To discuss Climate Change and Toxin Environmental Exposures (C2TE2) leading to infertility
The Summit collectively concluded that in addition to prioritizing the social and cultural dimension of Infertility, Infertility Prevention and generating Infertility Awareness, engaging and facilitating dialogue amongst communities to raise awareness to eradicate the stigma associated with infertility and make them understand that men and women can be equally affected by the medical condition of infertility needs emphasis. ‘It takes a man and a woman to have a child’ and ‘No to Infertility Stigma’ were two important messages that needed to spread through all sectors of our communities, through Media, Art, Fashion, Healthcare Sector, Social Groups and more.
The summit was conducted under Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” Campaign, a strong movement that aims to empower infertile and childless women through access to information, education and change of mind-sets. This powerful campaign supports in defining policies and interventions to build quality and equitable Reproductive and Fertility care capacity, Break Infertility Stigma and raise awareness about infertility prevention and male infertility.
“I am happy to share that Merck Foundation has provided more than 370 scholarships to doctors from 37 countries, with the aim to advance women’s health by building Reproductive & Sexual care and Fertility Care Capacity in Africa and beyond. Moreover, we have trained more than 2000 media representatives from more than 30 countries to raise community awareness, creating a culture shift and breaking the stigma around infertility and infertile and childless women. We have worked with local singers, filmmakers, media partners and fashion designers through our various initiatives like Songs, videos and short films, Children’s Storybooks, in addition to four different Media, Song, Film and Fashion Awards, and also a TV Show with the aim to raise awareness and break the stigma of infertility and be the voice of the voiceless”, emphasized Dr. Kelej.
Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard:
Facebook: bit.ly/32YFKpv
Twitter: bit.ly/2TeOQNj
YouTube: bit.ly/3zc3up1
Instagram: bit.ly/3g6OYr3
Flicker: bit.ly/2Tay0Pu
Website: Merck-Foundation.com
Download the Merck Foundation App: bit.ly/3v7pf5Z
About ‘Merck Foundation More Than a Mother’:
“Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education, and change of mindset. This powerful campaign supports governments in defining policies to enhance access to regulated, safe, effective and equitable fertility care solutions.
It defines interventions to break the stigma around infertile women and raises awareness about infertility prevention, management, and male infertility. In partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Information, Education & Gender, academia, policymakers, International fertility societies, media, and art, the initiative also provides training for fertility specialists and embryologists to build and advance fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.
With “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”, we have initiated a cultural shift to de-stigmatize infertility at all levels: By improving awareness, training local experts in the fields of fertility care and media, building advocacy in cooperation with African First Ladies and women leaders and by supporting childless women in starting their own small businesses. It’s all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to live a fulfilling life, with or without a child.
The Ambassadors of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” are:
| H.E. NEO JANE MASISI, The First Lady of Botswana | H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana | H.E. AISHA BUHARI, The First Lady of Nigeria |
| H.E. ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi | H.E. CLAR WEAH, The First Lady of Liberia | H.E FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of Sierra Leone |
| H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic | H.E. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of Malawi | H.E. MUTINTA HICHILEMA, The First Lady of Zambia |
| H.E. ANTOINETTE SASSOU-NGUESSO, The First Lady of Congo Brazzaville | H.E. ISAURA FERRÃO NYUSI, The First Lady of Mozambique | H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe |
| H.E. DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, THE First Lady of Democratic Republic of Congo | H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia | |
| H.E. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia | H.E. BAZOUM HADIZA MABROUK, The First Lady of Niger | |
| The Former First Lady of Burundi, H.E DENISE NKURUNZIZA, The Former First Lady of Chad, H.E. HINDA DÉBY ITNO, The Former First Lady of Guinea Conakry, H.E. CONDÉ DJENE, The Former First Lady of Malawi, H.E. PROFESSOR GERTRUDE MUTHARIKA, The Former First Lady of Niger, H.E AÏSSATA ISSOUFOU MAHAMADOU and The Former First Lady of Zambia, H.E. ESTHER LUNGU have worked successfully with Merck Foundation as Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Ambassadors to break the stigma of infertility and empower infertile women in their countries. |
Merck Foundation launched new innovative initiatives to sensitize local communities about infertility prevention, male infertility with the aim to break the stigma of infertility and empowering infertile women as part of Merck Foundation More than a Mother COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, such as.
- ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Africa Media Recognition Awards and Health Media Training
- ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Fashion Awards
- ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Film Awards
- ‘Merck Foundation More than a Mother’ Song Awards
- Local songs with local artists to address the cultural perception of infertility and how to change it
- Children storybook, localized for each country
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.
All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website.
Please visit Merck-Foundation.com to read more. To know more, reach out to our social media: Merck Foundation (Merck-Foundation.com); Facebook (bit.ly/32YFKpv), Twitter (bit.ly/2TeOQNj), Instagram(bit.ly/3g6OYr3) , YouTube (bit.ly/3zc3up1) and Flicker (bit.ly/2Tay0Pu).
