Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the 9th Edition of “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”.
The conference was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, and H.E. Mrs. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej expressed, “I proud of our long-term partnership with H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”, that started in 2019. We have together achieved a lot together in this short duration.
Together we have provided 60 Scholarships to young Namibian doctors in critical and underserved medical specialties like Oncology, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Respiratory and Acute Medicine, Trauma and Orthopedics, Critical Care, Psychiatry, Clinical Microbiology and Infectious diseases, Dermatology in Clinical Practice, Internal Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. We will continue to build healthcare capacity in Namibia.”
H.E. Mrs. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” shared, “I am very happy to have this ongoing long-term beneficial partnership with Merck Foundation. I am particularly excited as More Than a Mother Ambassador, as together we have been doing amazing work in the country to empower women living with infertility through access to information, education, information, change of mindset and economic empowerment. Moreover, 60 scholarships have been provided to young Namibian doctors in the fields of Diabetes, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Respiratory Medicines, Acute Medicines and Sexual and Reproductive Medicines, and many more. For Namibia, 2.4M population, we will soon have more than 18 skilled and trained doctors nationwide, to assist couples living with infertility or need any sexual & reproductive help, this will be a significant contribution towards improving women health in general and reproductive health in specific. This is a big achievement for us”.
