Merck Foundation CEO joins Burundi First Lady

Merck Foundation(www.Merck-Foundation.com) CEO acknowledge Burundi First Lady’s efforts as Ambassador of “More than a Mother” to build healthcare capacity, break infertility stigma, and support girl education; Merck Foundation provided around 50 scholarships to doctors in many critical and underserved medical specialties in Burundi; Merck Foundation Burundi Alumni Summit and Merck Foundation Awards Ceremony 2023 were conducted in Burundi chaired by Burundi First Lady and Merck Foundation CEO; After celebrating 2022 awards winners, Merck Foundation and Burundi First Lady announced the Call for Applications for 2 categories of 2023 includes 8 different Awards for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany joined H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” together with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education of Burundi to inaugurate the First Public IVF center in Burundi and acknowledge its staff who have been trained by Merck Foundation scholarships to be the first fertility care team in Burundi.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign emphasized, “I am very proud to be here today to celebrate such outstanding milestone, it is a history in the making, to train the first IVF and fertility care team in Burundi to be the staff of the first public IVF center established by my dear sister, Burundi First Lady. This is the best step to improve couples’ access to quality and equitable fertility care hence breaking infertility stigma around women and couples. I am proud to witness our Merck Foundation Alumni sharing their acquired knowledge and skills with other doctors and with media representative and community members with the aim to raise awareness about male infertility and infertility prevention and management. This kind of workshops is essential to create a culture shift and break the silence.”

“Today we are sharing with all the audiences in person and online the impact of our programs that aim to transform patient care, build healthcare and media capacity, break the stigma of infertility, empower women, support girl education in Burundi and the rest of Africa.

Moreover, we officially launched our programs in partnership with my dear sister, The First Lady of Burundi which started since started in 2020. We have achieved a lot in a very short time since then”, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej added.

Merck Foundation in partnership with Burundi First Lady and Ministry of Health of Burundi, has provided 51 scholarships to our local doctors in critical and underserved specialties such as Diabetes, Endocrinology, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Oncology, Fertility & Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive health care, Acute care, and Respiratory care.

H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of Burundi & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” emphasized “ I am very happy to meet and host Merck Foundation CEO and her team in our country. We started our joint programs in 2020 and are happy to officially launch these important programs, and also celebrate an important milestone of success and impact. We worked hard together with Merck Foundation over the past three years to make history by providing specialty training to first specialists in many fields in public sector hence transforming patent care landscape in our country.”

Dr. Rasha Kelej further added, “I am proud to share that out of the total 51 scholarships, we have together provided 35 scholarships for Diabetes Master course and PG Diplomas in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine. This has provided Burundi with its very first diabetes center which has been established by one of the graduates of Merck Foundation Master course.”

“For the Diabetes Master course in French and English, one young doctor from each province in Burundi has been enrolled. After completion, these Doctors can establish diabetes clinics in their respective Health centers or Hospitals with the aim to help prevent and manage the disease in their respective communities.” Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej added.

Moreover, during the launch program, Merck Foundation Burundi Annual Summit and Awards Ceremony was held, during which Merck Foundation CEO together with Burundi First Lady met and acknowledged the Merck Foundation Graduates and the Winners of the Merck Foundation Awards.

Merck Foundation in partnership with The Burundi First Lady has also initiated “Educating Linda” Program, which is very important for Burundi girls as through this program, scholarships are provided to 20 underprivileged but brilliant girls to continue their education till they graduate. Additionally, Merck Foundation distributed 3000 essential school items sets to school-going girls to support them.

Moreover, Merck Foundation CEO together with The First Lady of Burundi launched and signed together seven children’s storybooks titled: “David’s story” to emphasize and strengthen family values of love and respect from an early age, “Educating FIFI” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education, “Make the Right Choice” to raise awareness about coronavirus prevention amongst children and youth, “Jackline’s Rescue” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education, “Not Who You Are” to teach boys to love and respect their future wives and eliminate domestic violence, “Ride into the Future” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education and “Sugar free Jude” to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness on the early detection and prevention of Diabetes. Thousands of copies of these storybooks have been distributed to school students of Burundi in partnership with Ministry of Education of Burundi.