Merck Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & First Ladies of Africa Empower Women & Girls Through Education & Healthcare

What the report says

Zawya.com carried an APO Group-distributed press release from Merck Foundation saying the organization, alongside First Ladies from Africa and Asia who serve as its ambassadors, is marking International Women’s Day 2026 by highlighting programs focused on women’s education, health care and public awareness. The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany and said it has worked with partners including ministries responsible for health, education, communication and gender over a 14-year period.

The release cited Merck Foundation CEO Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) as saying women’s and girls’ empowerment is central to the foundation’s work. It pointed to initiatives including “More Than a Mother,” which addresses infertility stigma and supports access to information and care; the Merck Foundation Scholarships Program; “Educating Linda,” which supports schoolgirls; and STEM-related programs including the Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit Awards.

According to the foundation’s figures in the release, it has provided more than 2,500 scholarships to health-care providers from 52 countries across 44 underserved specialties. It said about 1,200 of those scholarships went to women medical graduates, and more than 770 were directed toward strengthening reproductive and sexual health and fertility care capacity. The foundation also reported more than 1,200 annual scholarships for underprivileged African schoolgirls in 19 countries through Educating Linda.

The release also described media, song, film and fashion awards, children’s books, animation films, awareness songs and television episodes used to promote girls’ education and address issues such as infertility stigma, female genital mutilation, child marriage and gender-based violence. Zawya noted the item was external press-release content and not edited by the site.