Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, together with African First Ladies and local partners, mark the “International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls 2023” as a part of the Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” and “Educating Linda” program, through their various community awareness programs to Stop Gender Based Violence, Empower Women & Girls at all levels, Support Girl Education and more.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation explained, “At Merck Foundation, we have been continuously working towards raising awareness about elimination of violence against women and girls through many of our initiatives like children’s storybooks, songs and also through many episodes of our TV program “Our Africa”, broadcasted on National TV Stations across Africa. We started our efforts to eliminate GBV in partnership with Botswana First Lady, via poster contest which was very successful.
Moreover, I strongly believe that Education is one of the most critical areas of women empowerment and can definitely help in eliminating violence of all types against women, therefore, we started our “Educating Linda” program to provide high performance by underprivileged girls with scholarships to continue their school education.”
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 about social and health issues, has episodes dedicated to issues like Stopping GBV, Ending FGM, Women Empowerment and Supporting Girl Education.
