Merck Foundation CEO champions "Fashion With Purpose" community who are their Fashion Award winners to break infertility stigma

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]/ Windhoek (Namibia), September 7 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany conducted an award ceremony to felicitate and celebrate the winners of 'Merck Foundation More Than a Mother' FASHION AWARDS 2020. The awards were announced in partnership with the African First Ladies, also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother expressed, "I am very happy and proud to meet our winners of the Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Fashion Awards 2020 and welcome them to our newly established 'Fashion with Purpose' community. I am impressed with their designs that deliver strong and influential messages to empower infertile women and say 'No to Infertility Stigma', via sensitizing our communities."

During the Award Ceremony, Merck Foundation CEO advised the winners, the young African Designers on how their respective designs can be created and executed to open a dialogue and create the culture shift desired.
The Videoconference was also attended by past winners of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Fashion Awards. It was also attended by Fashion designers & students and media representatives across Africa.

"My vision is to develop a community of young African Fashion Designers in order to catalyze a movement, that reaches and extends far beyond just fashion, and creates a culture shift and be the voice of the voiceless in their communities. Fashion industry has already got enough flak for being superficial. Let's change this perception and create a meaningful fashion trend aiming to educate our communities. I love fashion and I strongly believe that designers can make designs for Men and Women that they would be proud to wear to show their contribution toward their communities, villages, and cities across Africa," added Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej.
As a part of the awards, Merck Foundation has provided the winners with a one-year access to an online educational training program called "MasterClass" which is an immersive online experience and self-paced learning course that can be accessed anywhere with the Internet and offers online courses in many areas such as: art of designing, fashion, photography, lifestyle, discovering your inner voice and many other areas of Media, Film making and storytelling etc.
"I am very excited to be a part of the 'Fashion with a Purpose' community in Africa, led by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej. She is a true fashion icon, who has a unique style. It was an absolute honour to meet her and be mentored by her. Thanks to Merck Foundation for involving us in such important campaign," emphasized Joel Musasa, Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Fashion Awards 2020 winner from Namibia.
During the Award Ceremony, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej also announced Call for Applications for their annual competitions for the best design that carries messages to address sensitive social and health issues. The two awards launched for the year 2021, for African Fashion Designer community are:

1. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards "More Than a Mother" 2021: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about Infertility Prevention, Breaking Infertility stigma, and/or Empowering Girls and Women through Education.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2021. Click
to view more details.

2. Merck Foundation "Make Your Own Mask" Fashion Awards 2021: All African Fashion Designers and Students are invited to create and share designs of masks and other clothing items that carry messages to encourage people to wear masks to show they care and at the same time make it creative and fun!
Submission deadline: 30th October 2021. Click
to view more details.

List of Award Winners of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother FASHION Awards 2020:
Winners from Ghana in partnership with H.E. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of Ghana and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.
GHANA
Leticia Ashie Owusu
GiftyAmonuEssel
Kizito Ronald Jr
Placid Leke
Anuja Bharti
Paul Akrofie
Desmond NhyiraAmankonah

Winners from Namibia in partnership with H.E. MONICA GEINGOS, The First Lady of Namibia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.
NAMIBIA
Linrico Humphries
Stephany-Lee Schmidt (Libi)
AinaShigwedha
Hope Gowera
Joel Musasa
Eugenia Benard
Paulton Luciano Witbooi

Winners from Zambia in partnership with H.E. ESTHER LUNGU, The First Former Lady of Zambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.
ZAMBIA
Nelly Banda
Ruth Chimbala
Cecilia Njobvu
Linda Ngwira
Naomi Soko
GibstarMakangila
KasondeMakangila

About 'Merck Foundation More Than a Mother' campaign

"Merck Foundation More Than a Mother" is a strong movement that aims to empower infertile women through access to information, education and change of mind-sets. This powerful campaign supports governments in defining policies to enhance access to regulated, safe, effective and equitable fertility care solutions. It defines interventions to break the stigma around infertile women and raises awareness about infertility prevention, management and male infertility. In partnership with African First Ladies, Ministries of Health, Information, Education & Gender, academia, policymakers, International fertility societies, media and art, the initiative also provides training for fertility specialists and embryologists to build and advance fertility care capacity in Africa and developing countries.
With "Merck Foundation More Than a Mother", we have initiated a cultural shift to de-stigmatize infertility at all levels: By improving awareness, training local experts in the fields of fertility care and media, building advocacy in cooperation with African First Ladies and women leaders and by supporting childless women in starting their own small businesses. It's all about giving every woman the respect and the help she deserves to live a fulfilling life, with or without a child.

The Ambassadors of "Merck Foundation More Than a Mother" are:


Merck Foundation launched new innovative initiatives to sensitize local communities about infertility prevention, male infertility with the aim to break the stigma of infertility and empowering infertile women as part of Merck Foundation More than a Mother COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, such as;

'Merck Foundation More than a Mother' Africa Media Recognition Awards and Health Media Training
'Merck Foundation More than a Mother' Fashion Awards
'Merck Foundation More than a Mother' Film Awards
'Merck Foundation More than a Mother' Song Awards
Local songs with local artists to address the cultural perception of infertility and how to change it
Children storybook, localized for each country
Click on the link below to Download Merck Foundation App


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