Emelia Naa Ayeley Aryee || Freelance Journalist Reporting From Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
The 11th edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary Conference is being held from October 29 to 30th 2024, in Dar Es Salaam, the capital city of Tanzania, on the theme: “Together we make a difference”.
The annual event provides a platform where African and Asian First Ladies, who are ambassadors of ‘Merck More Than A Mother’ campaign, converge to brainstorm and share their achievements and interventions in the areas of healthcare, girls education, and women support, in their respective countries over the past years.
The eastern African country’s president herself, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, was in attendance with 15 First Ladies from Africa and Asia.
They are Ghana’s First Lady, H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo; H.E. Monica Chakwera, First Lady of Malawi; H.E Kartumu Yarta Boakai, First Lady of Liberia; H.E. Mrs Rachel Rutu, First Lady of Kenya; H.E Mrs. Fatoumata Bah-Barrow, fist lady of the Gambia, and First Ladies from Maldives, Mozambique, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Gabon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, and São Tomé and Principe.
There were also over 400 delegates in the capacity as health workers, media workers and government officials selected from 70 countries at the conference.
In a welcome address, the CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, highlighted some Merck Foundation’s achievements in combatting infertility, cancer, supporting girls’ education, among others.
She noted that doctors from 52 countries in Africa and Asia have been trained to be specialists in oncology, fertility, assisted methods, urology, cardiologists, and in many more disciplines.
Dr. Kelej emphasized that these achievements have been made possible due to Merck Foundation’s partnership with the First Ladies.
She expressed appreciation to the First Ladies and encourage them to roll out more initiatives to support girls’ education, fight gender-based violence, and break stigma of infertility against women.
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Havernkamp, the Chairman of Merck Foundation, reiterated Merck Foundation’s commitment to transform healthcare and improve the lives of individuals.
This goal, he noted, is the motivational force behind the Foundation granting scholarships programs in health to make practitioners capable of handling health issues in their various countries.
He also encouraged the medical officers to make good use of the training they have received because they are the future health foundation of their individual countries.
Dr. Stangenberg-Havernkamp stressed that educating girls is important to advance economic development of a country, and urged the First Ladies to remain resolute in championing this goal back in their home countries.
Taking her turn to speak, H.E. Mrs. Rebecca
Akufo-Addo listed some of the achievements she’s chalked in partnership with Merck Foundation as an Ambassador.
They include building healthcare capacity of doctors and journalists, breaking infertility stigma, accessing knowledge on the part of doctors and media practitioners.
She revealed that by means of the partnership, 189 scholarships for Ghanaian doctors in diverse discipline have been secured to foster inclusive, quality and equitable health care solutions in Ghana, particularly in underserved communities.
The First Lady added that Ghanaians are being opened in seeking help and breaking the stigma around infertility now than ever before.
Again, story books have been distributed to school children to help them become responsible and analyze critical issues of the society as they grow.
To Rebecca, promoting girls’ education is non-negotiable and that’s what her foundation will continue to advocate in a long time to
Come.
“Investing in girls education transforms community, country, and the world at large,” she said.
