By Samira Larbie
Accra, March 12, GNA – Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA, Germany, in commemoration of the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, has renewed its commitment to empowering women and girls.
The Foundation marked the day through its development programmes that have been implemented for more than 14 years, aimed at improving women’s health, education and leadership across Africa, Asia and other regions.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, Dr Rasha Kelej, the Chief Executive Officer of the Merck Foundation, said empowering women and girls remained central to the organisation’s mission.
“At Merck Foundation, empowering women and girls is not confined to a single day, rather it is embedded in everything we do. It shapes our vision and guides our programmes,” she was quoted as saying.
Dr Kelej noted that together with the First Ladies of Africa and Asia, who served as ambassadors of the Foundation, the organisation had celebrated the day for 14 years through sustained action under programmes such as “More Than a Mother,” the “Merck Foundation Scholarships Programme,” “Educating Linda,” and the “STEM Programme.”
She extended her wishes to women and girls around the world, encouraging them to rise with confidence, overcome barriers and realise their full potential.
The “More Than a Mother” initiative seeks to empower infertile and women without children by providing access to information, education and health services while also promoting a change in societal attitudes towards infertility.
Through its Scholarships Programme, the Foundation has provided more than 2,500 scholarships to healthcare providers from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties, contributing to improving healthcare delivery across Africa, Asia and other regions.
Dr Kelej said nearly half of the scholarships, about 1,200, had been awarded to women medical graduates, enabling them to become healthcare specialists and leaders.
She added that over 770 scholarships had also been provided to young healthcare professionals to strengthen reproductive and sexual health services and fertility care capacity.
She emphasised the importance of education to women’s empowerment, adding that under the “Educating Linda” programme, the Foundation, in collaboration with the First Ladies of Africa, had provided more than 1,200 annual scholarships to underprivileged African schoolgirls from 19 countries to enable them to complete their education.
The Foundation also promotes women’s participation in science and technology through its STEM Programme and the annual Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit (MARS) Awards, which recognised outstanding African women researchers and young researchers.
“Our goal is to empower women and young African researchers, enhance their research capacity and promote their contributions to STEM,” Dr Kelej said.
In addition, the Foundation, together with First Ladies of Africa and Asia, has launched annual awards in media, song, film and fashion to raise awareness about issues affecting women and girls.
These initiatives focus on promoting girls’ education, breaking infertility stigma, ending female genital mutilation and child marriage, and combating gender-based violence.
The Foundation also supports advocacy on girls’ education through children’s storybooks, animation films, awareness songs and dedicated programmes on “Our Africa” television programme by the Merck Foundation.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe