Dr. Kelej was acknowledged as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, an African woman to hold the position of the first CEO to Merck Foundation . She is also Senator at the Egyptian Senate, a strong crusader for transforming patient care in Africa and developing countries, passionate advocate of women’s rights and girls’ education, one of the most influential African women in 2019, 2020 and 2021. She is also a producer & director of various inspiring music videos, short movies and TV programs to raise awareness about critical social health and social topics in Africa through fashion & art.

An inspirational woman with a significant impact:

Hailed from Egypt and based in Dubai, Dr. Rasha Kelej led the establishment of Merck Foundation to continue her efforts in sustainable development through building healthcare capacity, supporting girl education, empowering women, and youth of Africa and beyond, since 2012.

The Creator of “More than a Mother” movement:

For her efforts to create ‘More Than a Mother’ Movement, which touched many hearts, Dr. Kelej was acknowledged as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women (2019, 2020, 2021).

A Member at Egyptian Senate:

Rasha Kelej has been appointed in October 2020 as a Member at The Egyptian Senate (2020 – 2025) where she plays an important advisory role with regards to African Health, Economic and Social Sustainable Development and collaborative opportunities between Egypt and rest of Africa.

Mama Africa and Sustainable development pioneer:

Lovingly called ‘Mama Africa’, she has strong partnerships with 20 African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Gender, Education, Information & Communication, Academia, media, art which contributed significantly to the success of their programs.

Dr. Kelej is also an inspirational pioneer in the transformation of patient care in Africa. Till 2021, more than 1200 doctors from 44 countries have benefited from Merck Foundation scholarships one and two-year diploma and Master degree in critical specialties.

Making History in Africa:

One of the most successful programs that Dr. Kelej has created and presided is the historic campaign “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” and its innovative initiatives which aims to empower childless and infertile women through access to information, health, change of mind set and economic empowerment.

She works closely with 20 African First Ladies as Ambassadors of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” in their countries, to break the stigma around infertility and empower infertile women.

Merck Foundation has supported and empowered more than 1000 childless women with small businesses to be independent and stronger.

“This program is very close to my heart and will continue for the next five years. I cannot forget the happiness and pride in those women’s eyes after they experience their success and realize their purpose in life and that they are “More than Mother” heroines”, Rasha Kelej emphasizes.

Moreover, more than 180 candidates are enrolled in clinical and practical training for Fertility specialists and Embryologists, while over 170 doctors have been enrolled in Sexual and Reproductive Medicines, Psychiatry and Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, from over 39 countries.

She creates a legacy for Merck Foundation in Africa:

Under her headship, Merck Foundation is making history in many African countries where they never had Fertility specialists or specialized Fertility clinics before this program intervened, by training the first Fertility specialists and Embryologists. This will eventually aid women and couples with better access to equitable and quality fertility care.

Dr Kelej added “We are making history and legacy in Africa, first Fertility specialists, Embryology, Oncologist, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Respiratory expert and and more in many countries are trained by Merck Foundation. I am so proud and want to invite all doctors to apply to our scholarships on our email submit@merck-foundation.com to fill health gaps in their communities, we are covering more than 26 underserved and critical specialties for Africa and developing countries.”

Advocating Girl Education for Women Empowerment:

“I strongly believe in girl education. When Girls are educated, their countries become more powerful, stronger & prosperous. I realize there’s need for more support as there are many brilliant girls out there who are struggling financially and socially to meet their educational needs. Therefore, we started “Educating Linda”, pan African program which is tailored for each country to contribute to the future of these girls as part of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”, explained Merck Foundation CEO.

Dr. Rasha has been contributing to the future of 100’s of girls in partnership with the African First Ladies through scholarships. Moreover, providing 3,000 sets of essential school items for girls’ schools to many countries yearly.

With Merck Foundation, the CEO’s target is to empower girls and women through various initiatives, including providing training for female & young researchers & medical graduates and supporting the education of best performing Girl students in Africa.

Dr. Kelej explained “At Merck Foundation, we strongly believe in education as an important factor in promoting economic well-being in Africa and as strong strategy to stop child marriage, GBV, FGM and STDs. Girl education is the best vaccine for HIV and considered as the best investment in global economy. It is estimated by world reports that for every additional year of primary school, a girl’s future income increases by 10-20%.”

Reaching to children to create a culture shift:

Merck Foundation in partnership with African First Ladies also publishes and distributes children’s storybooks to raise awareness about many sensitive andsocial topics, among children and adolescents.

These stories emphasize strong family values of love and respect from young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and resulted domestic violence in the future. They also aim to support girl education and stop child marriage and gender-based violence.

There 6 different storybooks have been localized for each country to have a better connect with the young readers.  The inspiring storybooks released are:

• “Educating Linda” and “Ride into Future” to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education,

• “David’s Story” – emphasizes strong family values of love and respect from a young age which will reflect on eliminating the stigma of infertility and resulted domestic violence in the future,

• “Jackline’s rescue” focuses on the importance of Girls Education and highlights the immoral practices of society including child marriage and the dowry system and

• “Not Who You Are” to teach boys to love and respect their future wives and eliminate domestic violence.

“I hope these stories would inspire every girl to fight for her right of education and encourage our communities to support their girls’, so that they can reach their potential and pursue their dreams and make stronger and healthier families, communities and countries”, emphasized Dr. Kelej.

Breaking the Silence through Fashion, Art and Music:

This versatile lady and a style icon is a trailblazer and is influential in changing the perception of how fashion, film, music, and media can be utilized to address sensitive social and health issues such as breaking infertility stigma and support girl education in Africa. This has been exemplified with the launch of “More Than A Mother” Fashion, Films, Songs & Media Awards as she strongly believes in the critical role art, media, and fashion play, to break the silence and address sensitive social and health issues in our communities.

“I’d like to invite all African Fashion designers, musicians, film makers, singers and media representatives to apply for our awards and be our champions in their communities, submit@merck-foundation.com ” she added.

Directed and produced 20 African songs:

Apart from the awards, training and advocacy platforms, Dr. Kelej has raised awareness about infertility and empowering women in the continent by utilizing songs, film, and media as a medium. She has launched more than 20 songs with famous African singers.

TV show in the pipeline to sensitize our communities:

She has created a new TV show which is still in the pipeline to create awareness around infertility, eliminating GBV and child marriage, supporting girls’ education and women empowerment.” It is the first of its kind, a community of fashion and art with purpose, consists of African experts, young fashion designers, musicians and artists and media representative from all over Africa, stay tuned to know more”, she emphasizes.

Merck foundation CEO, Rasha Kelej’s actions have certainly made an impact; and the most meaningful is her importance as a role model for millions of women across the globe.

Dr. Rasha’s story is an example of how we must not let our circumstances define who we become. In a world where female role models are scarce, Dr. Rasha’s legacy is outstanding and inspiring.

To follow her journey in achieving Merck Foundation mission, and to empower women and transform patient care in Africa visit: www.Merck-Foundation.com and www.Rasha-Kelej.com

By Reuters

Secondary school drop-outs in Tanzania will be offered the opportunity to resume studies in alternative colleges, the government said on Tuesday, part of a shift away from a disputed policy under which pregnant girls were expelled from school.

Such expulsions had increased under the tenure of maverick President John Magufuli, who died in March, according to rights groups who accused his government of discriminating against female students based on a policy that dated back to 1961.

“We are offering an alternative path to education to all children who missed their education for any reason, including those girls who got pregnant while in school, through our Folk Development Colleges (FDCs),” Leonard Akwilapo, a senior official at the Ministry of Education, told Reuters by phone.

New President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was Magufuli’s deputy, has acted quickly to reverse some of his most controversial policies including his dismissal of the COVID-19 pandemic as a supposed hoax and conspiracy.

Last month, she stressed the importance of Tanzanians wearing face masks against the virus. Last week, the World Health Organisation said Tanzania was working to join the COVAX global vaccine-sharing facility, which Magufuli boycotted.

Tanzania is one of only four African nations that have not begun vaccinating their people against COVID-19.

Regarding the new schools policy, Akwilapo said the education ministry wants all 54 of its FDC colleges to be able by January next year to provide secondary education to former school dropouts keen to resume their studies.

He said the move was part of Tanzania’s implementation of a $500 million World Bank project launched last year that aims to broaden access to education.

Around 5,500 girls drop out of school per year in Tanzania due to pregnancy, according to the World Bank.

Asked when pregnant girls who were forced to drop out will be allowed to return to mainstream schools, Akwilapo said a decision will be announced after an analysis is completed. He did not say how long the analysis would take.

The World Bank said it had dedicated two-thirds of the project’s funds to better and safer learning environments for girls who face greater barriers to learning than boys in many developing countries.

By Jerry Omondi

Across the world, governments have initiated various efforts to ensure women and youth are not left behind in technological advancements, as science and innovation increasingly become the focus of the future.

According to the United Nations, the global community has over the past 15 years made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Even with these, however, women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.

In Kenya, an Eldoret-based tech hub is doing its bit in ensuring women and youth are at the center of technological advancements and innovations.

EldoHub is an I.C.T. and entrepreneurship innovation hub that targets women and youth, to provide them with skills-based training, working space and a platform to interact network with their peers and share ideas.

The hub aims to help create and grow young tech businesses, and help them survive in their early stage by providing them with the necessary support and also financial and technical services.

Magdalene Chepkemoi, the Founder & Executive Director of EldoHub, says her decision to start the hub was inspired by her own life. Having grown up in a rural setup where women are still restricted to various roles and career paths, she felt the need to create a path for them to compete better with their male counterparts.

“I grew up in the rural areas. And I remember when I was young, I really wanted to be a scientist. I wanted to be a computer scientist. And when I mentioned to my parents that I want to pursue a career in computer science, they really objected and some of the reasons I was given was because you know you are a woman and it’s really good for you to be a teacher or a nurse,” she says.

She stuck to her dreams despite the parental pressure and years later she has grown to become of the most notable names in the fields of science, innovation and technology.

One of the main programs at Eldohub is a ‘Women in STEM’ initiative, which encourages and supports women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and entrepreneurship.

Through this, women and girls are empowered to pursue technical careers.

Each day, Eldohub hosts tech lessons for women, helping them achieve their dreams of becoming part of Kenya’s science, innovation and technology fields.

“I have always loved math and logic and I also consider myself to be a creative person. So, coding and programming gave me a chance to combine those two things and also being able to offer solutions to problems that surrounded me. Technology offered an easy way to do that,” said Wanjiku Njoroge, a Web Development Student at EldoHub.

On her part, Purity Kosgei, a Web Development Student and Communications Officer at EldoHub, says her journey at the hub has been partly inspired by Chepkemoi’s own life journey.

“I have been here for about one year right now and I can say that my experience has been really great. It’s been awesome and I have learned so many things especially from my Director who even before I came to EldoHub I used to see her sometimes and she used to motivate me. I can say she is my mentor,” said Kosgei.

Now also a mentor to many women and girls across Kenya’s western region, Chepkemoi often organizes field classes, where ladies who cannot reach Eldoret are also able to benefit from the hub’s programs.

“It’s possible. If I did it, you can do it as well. If so-and-so can do it, you can do it, and no one should really discourage you from pursuing what you want to achieve,” she said.

According to U.N. data, less than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women, and only around 30 percent of all women students select STEM-related fields in higher education. This translates to even fewer women in STEM-related workplaces, a tiny fraction of whom make it to management or leadership roles.

According to Azron Brian, a Software Engineer & Lead Trainer at EldoHub, with continued efforts, this imbalance can be changed, and the result would help the world tap into women’s brains in the quest to ensure more technological advancements.

“Being on this kind of program where we are equipping girls with tech skills and anything to do with technology, mathematics, engineering and science, you’ll find that in years to come, the narrative will change,” said Brian. “We’ll either have equal representation or more women will come in – not necessarily to do away with the men – but we’ll have a good representation of women. The narrative will completely change. We will have more women, more girls pursuing such careers and doing well in the fields as well.”

For Chepkemoi, the future still holds much more. Even though she draws a lot of pride in Eldohub’s journey so far, she is keen to ensure even more success.

“We want to build EldoHub more like an education technology platform for them to learn full capacity building in terms of digital literacy, STEM education, entrepreneurship lessons and through the entrepreneurship lessons, we want to build an entrepreneurship development program where they can be able to be guided on how they can start and grow their business from ideation stage all the way to taking their products to the market,” she said.