CONAKRY, Guinea – Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany in partnership with The First Lady of Guinea, H.E. DJENE CONDÉ together with Ministry of Education launched an inspiring children story of Abubaker and Fataou for children to strengthen family values of love and respect since young ages.
The book has a special message from H.E. DJENE CONDÉ, The First Lady of Guinea and Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother addressed to the young readers.
Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President, Merck More Than a Mother emphasized, “I am very happy to launch together with The First Lady of Guinea Conakry, H. E. MADAM DJENE CONDE and Ministry of Education, Merck Foundation’s children story at one of the schools to emphasize strong family values of love and respect from young age. The story of Abu Baker tells a story of a husband and wife 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 acknowledged that he too can be the cause of infertility and lived happily ever after”
“It’s important for parents and caregivers to start teaching respect and nurturing empathy from a very young age. 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 behaviour during their pre-school and elementary school years. This story is our way to empower our boys to develop true respect for women and know few facts about Infertility prevention and how it affects both men and women equally” added Dr. Rasha Kelej.
H.E. DJENE CONDÉ, The First Lady of Guinea and Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother emphasized, “This story is part of the ‘Merck More Than a Mother’ campaign which is very close to my heart. It is a great initiative to prepare our children for tomorrow with the right family values of love and respect.”
“Reading Abubaker’s story will teach our children to respect and value all people Regardless of being parents or not. It will also help preparing our children for tomorrow with the right family values of love and respect. Everyone deserves respect and love, and should never ever be overlooked or, worse, abused —even if they are childless” concluded Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Merck Foundation launched their programs in partnership with The First Lady of Guinea together with Ministry of Health AND Ministry of Information & Communication to build equitable healthcare capacity and break the infertility stigma in the country.
Merck Foundation will also be working closely with the Office of First Lady to support the establishment of first ever public IVF centre in the country by providing technical advice and training to medical and paramedical staff.
Merck Foundation will also be providing training in the fields of Fertility, Diabetes and Cancer to Guinean doctors to build healthcare capacity in the country.
About Merck Foundation
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. They are primarily focused on improving access to innovative healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website.
