Merck More than a Mother campaign launched in Nigeria was championed by the country’s first lady, Her Excellency Mrs. Aisha Buhari. The launch held in Abuja, Nigeria is in partnership with Senate Commission on Health; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and Future Assured organization.
Merck More than a Mother continues its commitment to break stigma around infertility and empower infertile women by improving access to information, education, healthcare and change of culture and mind-set to de-stigmatize infertility.
Her Excellency Mrs. Buhari pledged her support and the support of Nigerian Governors’ wives in the implementation of Merck More than a Mother’s activities in Nigeria focusing on eliminating infertility stigma and creating awareness and providing information and education on causes of infertility; facilitating access to healthcare; and economic and social empowerment of infertile women.
The Nigerian women leaders also supported the empowering of infertile women who form a vulnerable part of the population. Infertile women in Nigeria and many other African countries who can no longer be treated have been empowered socially and economically to lead independent and happier lives through Empowering Berna initiative. Empowering Berna is part of Merck More than a Mother campaign.
Helen Phillip, a Nigerian woman from the North shared her story of suffering from infertility stigma and expressed her gratitude to the support Merck more than a Mother provided her through establishing new business so that she can become an independent productive member in her community.
Watch Nigeria’s infertile women sharing their stories of social suffering of infertility stigma and their transformation after the economic and social empowerment provided by Merck more than a Mother through Empowering Berna project:
- Merck More Than a Mother – The Story of Empowering Helen Philip, Nigeria (https://youtu.be/_t6OdLNWqkI);
- Merck More Than a Mother – The Story of Empowering Victoria John Kuba, Nigeria (https://youtu.be/r36tBURbdGM);
- Merck More Than a Mother – The Story of Empowering Kachollom. M. Sha (https://youtu.be/FQdODovfhP0);
- Merck More Than a Mother – The Story of Empowering Khadijat Yaya, Nigeria (https://youtu.be/49YDQPZpldM);
- Merck More Than A Mother – The Story of Empowering Oluchi Omenife, Nigeria (https://youtu.be/Yc-ugNhpdkg);
- Merck More Than A Mother – The Story of Empowering Chinelo Azodo, Nigeria (https://youtu.be/MmjwBol4kI0);
- Merck More Than A Mother – The Story of Empowering Ijeoma Ezeaku (https://youtu.be/HgOgzwOn16k);
- Merck More Than A Mother – The Story of Empowering Nneka Omenife, Nigeria (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etPmh-YmjpY&t=16s).
“In Nigeria we have been advocating for the end of harmful traditional practices including the stigmatization of women which is prevalent all over the country. Women have not been coming out openly because they are traumatized. With this campaign we will encourage them to speak out and we pledge our support and collaboration,” said Hon. Aisha Alhassan, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development.
“Merck More than a Mother campaign is a great initiative to break the stigma around infertility and to empower an unprivileged category of women in Africa, women who suffer infertility. Infertile women have been neglected, mistreated and discriminated because they cannot bear a child, yet 50% of infertility is due to male factors. We can together improve access to education, information, awareness, health care and change of mind-set and culture to stop these women’s suffering,” said Dr. Rasha Kelej, Chief Social Officer, Merck Healthcare.
Prof. Isaac Adewole Hon. Minister of Health emphasized: “We are responsible for policy at the Ministry level and this is where we can make a difference in improving access to fertility care in Nigeria. We will work through training institutions we are responsible for to strengthen fertility management by making it a sub-specialty. We will also as a Ministry work with private sector, the Senate and the National Assembly to improve governance and quality of care to provide standards to protect infertile men and women seeking treatment.”
Merck More than a Mother was first implemented in Kenya in 2015 followed by Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic and Nigeria.
To read more about Merck More than a Mother, visit www.MerckMoreThanAMother.com and www.Merck-CAP.com.
Distributed by APO on behalf of For Africa Forever.
Media Contact:
Lucy Kaaya
Chief Editor
ForAfricaForever@gmail.com
About the stigma of infertility in Africa:
Jackeline Mwende, the recent victim of Infertility stigma tells us her story of suffering of Iterrible violence by her husband. Merck more than a Mother committed to work hard to ensure that no other woman would suffer the same way Jackeline did. Watch her story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niMNO-jz0yA&t=37s).
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- Image: Helen Phillip, one of the infertility stigma victims in Nigeria, after rolling in Merck more than a Mother program
- Image: At the Merck More than a Mother event launch in Abuja: Dr. Mohammed Kamal National Coordinator, Future Assured Foundation; Hon. Joyce Lay, Member of Parliament, Kenya; Senator Dr. Lanre Tejuoso, the Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Nigeria; Dr. Rasha Kelej (centre), Chief Social Officer, Merck; HE Dolapo Osinbajo, Wife of Vice President of Nigeria; Dr. Toyin Saraki, Wife of Senate President, Nigeria; Hon. Sarah Opendi, Minister of State of Health, Uganda; and Prof. Isaac Adewole, Hon. Federal Minister of Health, Nigeria
- Image: Discussing the way forward with Merck more than a Mother in Nigeria, H.E. Wife of the vice President of Nigeria and Rasha Kelej , Chief Social officer of Merck
- Image: Dr. Rasha Kelej, Chief Social Officer, Merck Healthcare (1)
- Image: Two panel discussions of fertility experts and policy makers during the launch called for an end to the stigmatization of infertile women; creation of awareness and education on the causes of infertility and management since untreated STIs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia may be the cause of up to 85% of infertility among women seeking infertility care which can be treated and prevented; male infertility; building advocacy for the development of artificial reproductive therapy (ART) laws to improve the governance and quality of fertility care; improving access to fertility care by integrating it into public reproductive health services and building the capacity to provide quality and safe fertility care through training (1)
- Image: Two panel discussions of fertility experts and policy makers during the launch called for an end to the stigmatization of infertile women; creation of awareness and education on the causes of infertility and management since untreated STIs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia may be the cause of up to 85% of infertility among women seeking infertility care which can be treated and prevented; male infertility; building advocacy for the development of artificial reproductive therapy (ART) laws to improve the governance and quality of fertility care; improving access to fertility care by integrating it into public reproductive health services and building the capacity to provide quality and safe fertility care through training (2)
- Image: H.E. Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo , high level panelists and , wives of Governors from Nigeria together with infertile women who have benefitted from ‘Empowering Berna’ project
- Image: Dr. Rasha Kelej, Chief Social Officer, Merck Healthcare (2)
- Image: At the Merck More than a Mother event launch in Abuja
- Image: Dr. Rasha Kelej, Chief Social Officer, Merck Healthcare (3)
- Video: Merck More Than A Mother – The Story of Empowering Helen Philip, Nigeria
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
