Enthusiastic Ghanaian journalist and gender advocate, Emelia Naa Ayeley Aryee, has finally met with Ghana’s First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, and Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej, for her prestigious awards.
This follows an earlier report by Amaghanaonline.com that Ms. Aryee had won two awards which she would later take delivery of in a meeting with the First Lady.
The award ceremony was held recently in Accra with the First Lady, Merck Foundation CEO, and Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, in attendance.
In 2023, Emelia placed first in the Online Category of the award scheme in the whole of West Africa English-speaking countries; after coming third in 2022.
In an interview with Amaghanaonline.com, Emelia Aryee, who doubles as the Director for Xoese Ghana, related her joy of finally laying hands on her prestigious award medals.
“These mean a lot to them. I won gold for coming first in 2023, and bronze for coming third in 2022, it is a double win for me,” she said elatedly.
“This gesture assures me that my works and initiatives to help women and girls are being recognized both far and near, and this is the oil that keeps empowering me to do more.
A lot of women are suffering in silence because society is mocking and calling them names for being childless. By all means, we need to act, we need to do something for the women, we need to rescue them, and this is what I will never rest from doing,” Ms. Aryee stressed passionately.
Over forty other winners in various categories of the awards – media, fashion designers, and medical doctors, were also present at the august ceremony.
In a remark, the Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo charged the award-winning journalists to continue to be the voice of the voiceless by engaging more in stories that make positive impact in the society.
She noted that this is the only way the less-privileged and marginalized group in the society could feel more secured and belonging.
The First Lady extended a hearty congratulations to the winners of the Merck ‘More Than A Mother’ Awards, and encouraged them not to rest on their oars.
Taking her turn to speak, the CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej, congratulated the winners and assured them of her outfit’s desire to keep supporting them in writing more impactful stories about women and girls.
She further touted Merck Foundation’s achievements which include providing more than 150 scholarships to medical doctors in Ghana and other countries to enhance healthcare delivery in the areas of fertility, hypertension, and diabetes.
Meanwhile, Ms. Aryee is currently spearheading a campaign to combat infertility stigma, particularly targeting women, by organising fertility events and raising awareness about conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a leading cause of infertility in women.
With her help, over 40 women and couples struggling with infertility have been connected to fertility experts and they are receiving the help they need to conceive.
