First Lady to support schoolgirls with scholarships: Monica Chakwera new Malawi ambassador of Merck Foundation
First Lady Monica Chakwera has become the new “More than a Mother” Malawi ambassador of Merck Foundation, the international philanthropic organisation, replacing the country’s immediate past first lady Gertrude Mutharika and has committed to supporting school girls in the country.
The “Merck More than a Mother” initiative aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education, and health and by changing mindsets.
Madam Chakwera on Monday actively participated in the inaugural virtual initiative African First Lady summit.
Addressing her fellow First Ladies, Chakwera said she will add more projects to the existing initiatives Malawi has with the Merck Foundation.
“We plan to launch a girls education programme which will see 20 best performing secondary school students getting scholarship annually to finish their studies.
“Under Merck Foundation’s Educating Linda, the initiative seeks to educate girls, especially in rural areas. The vision and goals of Educating Linda are in line with what my personal foundation to be launched soon will be focused on,” said Chakwera.
Madam Chakwera said she was keen to work with the organisation in different sector including its infertility issues as part of a broad-based approach to end stigma on the subject.
She pledged her commitment to empower infertile women in the country as well as to fight the cancer vice that is tearing livelihoods.
Chakwera thanked the Merck Foundation for working with the African First Ladies in advancing public healthcare sector across Africa.
Merck Foundation chief executive Dr Rasha Kelej paid tribute to various work being done by the First Ladies in their countries and stated the foundation’s commitment to assist in ending the challenge of infertility which she said will be addressed through capacitating health care services in Africa.
The foundation’s chairman of board of trustees, Professor Dr Frank Stagenberg- Haverkamp, raised the need to improve health care in African countries to cope with the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic which he said were disastrous.
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Ubwino wokhala ndi Mai wa Fuko wophunzira osati zina zija zoti beautify malawi chani chani
Better. We want to see more girls become educated like her. She should be going out explaining how she managed to come out of the rural area of Bolero to become a chartered accountant. We have a number of people assisting girls like the Directors of Atsikana pa Ulendo in Nsaru. Girls should not be used as sex machines. We see girls dropping out of schools due to pregnancies and most end up as prostitutes.
Amayathu 💪🏾🇲🇼
Timakunyadirani amayi