Chief Executive Officer of Merck Foundation Dr. Rasha Kelej began a creative campaign to counter wrong African habits.
'Merck More Than a Mother' campaign was launched by Kelej in Ghana in the presence of the Ghanaian first lady.
The campaign aims to break the stigma around infertile African women and raise awareness about infertility prevention and management.
This stigma could lead African men to torture their wives blaming them of not giving birth.
Therefore, Dr. Kelej works on fighting such misconception in many African countries like Burundi, Botswana, Central Africa, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Niger, Liberia, Malawi, Guinea, Congo, Mali, Gabon, Lesotho, Zambia, Gambia, and Chad.
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Dr. Rasha Kelej with Ghanaian First Lady[/caption]
The Egyptian volunteer decided to break this taboo and began changing the African children's thoughts about the habits by showing them an inspiring story called "Kofi and Ama" which aims to enhance family values of love and respect since young ages.
The story of Kofi is about a husband and wife who couldn't have children, but they never lost love or respect for each other. The man supported his wife during the fertility treatment journey and lived happily together.
About 20,000 copies of the book had printed for distribution to children through various schools and libraries in Ghana.
She pointed out that parents and caregivers need to start teaching respect and nurturing empathy from a very young age.
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Africans Understands More Than a Mother Campaign[/caption]
"We should teach boys these qualities at their schools and through media. I believe both boys and girls need the same kind of guidance. Just like girls, young boys gradually learn how to control their behavior during their pre-school and elementary school years," she said.
"This story is our way to empower our boys to develop a true respect for women and know few facts about infertility prevention and how it affects both men and women equally," she added.
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, it aims to improve the health and well-being of people and advance their lives through science and technology.
Contributed by Amr Galal
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