Merck Foundation & African First Ladies Mark International Day Of The Girl Child Through Their ‘Educating Linda’ Program

Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, mark an ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ through their ‘Educating Linda’ program, which supports girl education (#yesforGirl Education) and ending child marriage (#EndChildMarriage) through helping young girls who are unprivileged but brilliant to continue their education.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and also an Executive Director of the song expressed, “We at Merck Foundation mark Girl Child Day every day through our continuous efforts with our partners, African First ladies to implement ‘Educating Linda’ program in their countries, which is a part of our ‘More Than a Mother’ campaign. I strongly believe that an educated girl will lead a healthy life, save lives, build a stronger family, earn a better income, make informed choices, empower her community, lift her country and reduce inequalities. However, it has been seen that many girls drop out of the school due to many challenges such as: lack of necessities such as fees and uniforms. Therefore, as a part of ‘Educating Linda’ program, in partnership with the African First Ladies who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation ‘More Than a Mother’ campaign we have contributed to the future of 1000’s of girls by providing with scholarships and essential school items in many African countries”.

“Moreover, I am very happy and excited to share that to mark this important day, H.E. CLAR MARIE WEAH, The First Lady of Liberia, also the Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother, distributed essential school items to over 450 school-going girls in Liberia. The items were provided by Merck Foundation as a part of our Educating Linda project. More will be distributed in the near future, moreover we will provide scholarships to 20 unprivileged but brilliant Liberian girls to continue their school education.” added Senator Rasha Kelej.

As a part of Educating Linda Program, Merck Foundation in partnership with the African First Ladies has provided scholarships for young girls in many countries like Burundi, Central African Republic, DRC, Ghana, The Gambia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Merck Foundation has also provided 3,000 sets of essential school items for girls’ schools in many countries like Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, and Zambia. Each of the recipients gets a set containing 1 Ruler, 3 Pencils, 2 Erasers, 1 Sharpener, 1 Pen, 6 Color Pencils, 1 Triangular Ruler, 1 Protractor, and 1 Fabric Bag.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej further emphasized, “In partnership with the African First Ladies, we have been building healthcare capacity through providing training to healthcare providers in many medical specialties. More than 1470 medical graduates have benefitted from this program so far. I am very proud that out of these over 650 are female medical graduates. This is close to 50% of the total beneficiaries, which is a great milestone for us.

Moreover, we have emphasized on the importance of supporting girl education through “Our Africa by Merck Foundation”, a pan-African Tv program broadcasting across the continent and available on our social media.”

Merck Foundation has also announced the MARS Awards to appreciate and recognize ‘Best African Women Researchers’ and ‘Best Young African Researcher’. The aim is to empower women and young African researchers, advance their research capacity and promote their contribution to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Moreover, Merck Foundation has released many inspiring children’s storybooks and songs for supporting girls’ education.