Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KgaA Germany and Africa Reproductive Care society (ARCS) together conducted the Third Edition of “World Infertility Awareness Summit (WIAS) 2024” and Press Conference.
The Summit was co-chaired by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign and Chairperson of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS); Prof. Oladapo Ashiru OFR, President of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS) and also The Nigerian Academy of Medicine Specialties; Dr. Edem Hiadzi, Immediate past President of the Fertility Society Of Ghana (FERSOG); Prof. Justin E. MBOLOKO, Immediate Past President, Inter-African Fertility Research and Application Study Group (GIERAF) and Dr. Moustapha Thiam, Obstetrician Gynecologist IVF President, Senegal.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “We marked World Fertility Awareness Month with the experts in the field and our media community through our third edition of World Infertility Awareness Summit in partnership with Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS). The summit has been our effort towards raising awareness about infertility. especially male infertility, and to sensitizing communities to end the stigma associated with infertility and empower infertile women & couples through access to information, education, health and change of mindset.
I am very proud to share that we at Merck Foundation are contributing to building and advancing fertility care capacity in Africa and Asia, to support childless women and couples. I am very happy to share that we have provided till today more than 574 scholarships of Embryology, Fertility and Reproductive care to young doctors from 39 different countries.
Many of our Alumni are trained to be the first local experts in their countries, where they never used to have local embryologists or fertility specialists before our program, such as The Gambia, Burundi, Guinea, Chad, Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Malawi, Congo and more.
Together with African First Ladies, and other important partners, we are making history and reshaping the landscape of fertility & Reproductive care across Africa and beyond.”
Prof. Oladapo Ashiru OFR, President of Africa Reproductive Care Society (ARCS) said, “Infertility has a great psychological impact on the women suffering from infertility stigma due to emotional and physical distress caused to her. In some cases, women also go through physical violence and lacks the family support too. Infertility is not only a medical issue but also a social issue. It is imperative that the community is informed and educated about the issue.
Infertility can be preventive by adopting various measures like switching to a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking, reducing stress and anxiety, and ending the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
I appreciate the efforts of Merck Foundation for breaking the stigma around infertility and also raising awareness through various campaigns and efforts around infertility stigma.”
The objectives of the Summit were:
To raise awareness about infertility especially male infertility.
To highlight preventive measure in infertility in Africa and developing countries.
To discuss the challenges and define solutions to improve access to quality and equitable Infertility, Sexual & Reproductive Care via building healthcare capacity and raising community awareness.
Define interventions to break infertility stigma around women and couples.
The online program was attended by over 350 participants including Merck Foundation partners and Alumni who are future Fertility Specialists, Reproductive and Sexual Care Specialists, and Embryologists, Healthcare Providers, Policy Makers and Media Professionals from over 25 countries in Africa and beyond, and over 4500 online viewers on our social media platforms. The experts answered questions from the media.
It was conducted under Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”, a powerful campaign that defines interventions to build quality and equitable Reproductive and Fertility Care Capacity, Break Infertility Stigma and Raise Awareness about Infertility Prevention and Male Infertility.
During the program, Merck Foundation showcased their animation film “More Than a Mother”, adapted from their storybook, to emphasize strong family values of love and respect from a young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and the resulted domestic violence in the future.
According to WHO data, more than 180 million couples in developing countries – that is 1 in every 4 couple, suffer from infertility. In many cultures in Africa, infertility is a huge stigma. Women are solely blamed for failing to conceive and the social stigma of childlessness, especially for women leads to isolation and stigmatization and results in discrimination and ostracism. This mostly also leads to divorce or physical or psychological violence. As a part of “More Than a Mother” Campaign, Merck Foundation has launched many initiatives to break this stigma and create a culture shift.
Merck Foundation has also been empowering childless and infertile women through their “Empowering Berna” initiative under their “More Than a Mother” movement. This initiative helps women who cannot be treated for infertility anymore by helping them get trained to establish small businesses so that they can be independent and rebuild their lives. Through ‘Empowering Berna’, the lives of many infertile women have been transformed in many African countries like Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Niger, Malawi, and many more.
“It’s all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to lead a fulfilling life, with or without a child,” added Dr. Kelej.
Moreover, Merck Foundation has trained more than 3200 media representatives from more than 35 countries to raise community awareness and break the stigma around infertility and infertile and childless women.
Merck Foundation’s pan African TV program “Our Africa”, that is conceptualized, produced, directed, and co-hosted by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and features African Fashion Designers, Singers, and prominent experts from various domains with the aim to raise awareness and create a culture shift across Africa, has many episodes dedicated to raise awareness about infertility and breaking infertility stigma.
