The CEO of Merck Foundation has announced Partnership with The Gambia First Lady

The CEO of the Merck Foundation and the First Lady of The Gambia meet at the 9th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 to endorse their plans, present their impact report, and make a call to action to improve healthcare and empower women and girls in The Gambia. Together with The Gambia's First Lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and other continents, Merck Foundation is changing the face of patient care and creating history.

The 9th Edition of "Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary," the annual conference of Merck Foundation, the charitable arm of Merck KGaA Germany, was recently held. Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Executive Board of E.Merck KG and the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Senator, Dr.RashaKelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of the Republic of The Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation "More Than a Mother," along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.

The First Lady of The Gambia and the Merck Foundation "More Than a Mother" Ambassador is H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW. Since 2017, she has been our long-term partner. At the ninth edition of our Luminary, we held a lengthy discussion to go over our joint plans and strategy and to report on its results.

I'm happy to report that 34 scholarships have been given to young Gambian physicians in a variety of crucial and underrepresented disciplines, including oncology, diabetes, endocrinology, sexual & reproductive medicine, respiratory medicine, and acute medicine. Together, we are educating the country's first experts in a variety of specialties, including oncology, respiratory care, fertility, embryology, reproductive care, diabetes, endocrinology, and more, making history in The Gambia.

"Our partnership journey is growing from strength to strength as we have achieved many important and significant milestones since 2017, when I hosted Merck Foundation CEO and together, we launched the programmes in my country," emphasised H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The Gambia's First Lady and the "More Than a Mother" ambassador. Together, we were able to give 34 of our young physicians medical scholarships. We believe it to be a very high figure for our nation and one that would considerably support The Gambia's economic and social growth as well as its security of health.

Together, we are also working on several initiatives to increase public awareness of important social and health issues, such as ending child marriage and FGM, stopping GBV, ending the stigma associated with infertility, supporting girl education, and raising awareness of diabetes and high blood pressure.

To help youngsters become aware of these challenges at an early age, we have jointly published seven children's storybooks about them. Additionally, to inspire our journalists and artists to spread awareness of these crucial issues, we have introduced prizes for the finest media, song, film, and fashion creations.

The Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative-MFFLI committee meeting was held between The First Ladies and the chairman and CEO of the Merck Foundation on day two of the Luminary. The effect of their collaboration initiatives since 2017 was disclosed and the plan for 2023 was addressed during the MFFLI committee meeting.

'Jackline's Rescue' by the Merck Foundation, which emphasises the value of girl education and calls attention to immoral social practises like child marriage and the dowry system, and 'A Ride Into The Future,' which emphasises the significance of empowering girls through education, were two of the children's storybooks we read during our reading session. Senator RashaKelej stressed, "That was my favourite part of the MFFLI committee, and I hope we keep doing this every year.

The First Lady of The Gambia and Senator Dr.RashaKelej, CEO of the Merck Foundation, met privately at the Luminary to review the effect of ongoing projects and to develop plans for further strengthening the country's media and healthcare infrastructure.

Together with the First Lady of The Gambia, Merck Foundation has made history by offering 34 scholarships thus far, 19 of which are for fertility training, a one-year postgraduate diploma, and a two-year master's degree in sexual and reproductive medicine, allowing recipients to become The Gambia's first specialists.

Additionally, 2 scholarships for the Oncology Fellowship programme, 5 scholarships for training in the field of diabetes, 7 scholarships for a one-year PG diploma and a two-year master's degree in acute medicine and respiratory medicine, and 1 scholarship for a two-year PG diploma in neonatology have all been offered to help students become the first specialists in their country.

Since 2012, the Merck Foundation has been working towards this goal because it has always believed in the significance of increasing healthcare capacity. In collaboration with the First Lady of The Gambia, we will continue to train Gambian physicians in a variety of medical specialisations, Senator Dr.RashaKelej promised.

Moreover, Merck Foundation held its online Health Media Training with The First Lady of Gambia present, and they also honoured the recipients of the Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards. The purpose of the training was to underline the crucial and significant role that the media plays in educating the public about social and health concerns, such as eliminating child marriage, promoting female education, and preventing and detecting diabetes and hypertension.

The First Lady of The Gambia and the Merck Foundation jointly announced the call for submissions for their eight significant awards for media, musicians, fashion designers, filmmakers, students, and emerging talent in various disciplines.

As part of the "More than a Mother" community awareness campaign, Merck Foundation and The Gambia First Lady have also released an uplifting song to combat the stigma associated with infertility in Africa and the rest of the globe. The song communicates the crucial message that "Fertility is a Shared Responsibility" and exhorts men to help their spouses along the entire process of starting a family. A talented young woman from The Gambia named Sunita wrote and composed it.

On the social media accounts of the Merck Foundation and Senator Dr.RashaKelej, the 9th edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 was aired live.

Together with its partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond, the Merck Foundation is changing patient care and creating history through

• 1470+ Scholarships awarded by the Merck Foundation to medical professionals in 32 crucial and underrepresented disciplines from 50 different countries.

Moreover, the Merck Foundation is fostering a change in mindset and shattering the taboo around a variety of social and health challenges in Africa and neglected areas by:

• More than 2200 media professionals from more than 50 countries have received training to increase awareness of various social and health concerns.

• Every year, eight different awards are presented for the finest news stories, fashion designers, movies, and music.

• About 30 African native artists' songs that deal with social and health concerns

• Eight picture books for kids in English, French, and Portuguese.

• "Our Africa by Merck Foundation," a pan-African television programme that addresses social and health issues in Africa via "Fashion and ART with Purpose"

• Each year, 1000+ girls from 15 different African nations get scholarships or school supplies.

• Nine social media platforms with a combined following of more than 5 million.