Online Reporter
Blessings Chidakwa in DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
THE First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, also the country’s Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Ambassador, emerged as a pillar of experience, influence, and inspiration during yesterday’s high-level Summit engagement with 13 fellow First Ladies from Africa and Asia.
The 7th Edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit, which ends today in Dubai, drew First Ladies from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Gambia, Kenya, Maldives, Senegal, Central African Republic, Angola, Liberia, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Gabon, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe.
At the meeting, the engagements addressed various issues, including breaking the stigma surrounding infertility, supporting the girl child’s education, and promoting and strengthening healthcare capacities in fields experiencing skills shortages.
The Summit, also reviewed the progress of ongoing collaborations with the Merck Foundation since the 11th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa-Asia Luminary held in Tanzania last year.
During the conference, the Merck Foundation also celebrated two significant milestones, the 8th Anniversary of the Merck Foundation and 13 years of impactful development programmes that started in 2012.
Dr Mnangagwa, whose hands on approach in her philanthropic work cuts across the entire globe, was feted as the first ‘More Than a Mother’ Ambassador to share her lived experiences, laying a solid foundation that set the tone for the summit.
New First Ladies at the forum from nations such as Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal marvelled at her address, inspired beyond the pulpit by the sterling work initiated through the Merck Foundation partnerships.
In her speech, Dr Mnangagwa’s words resonated deeply as they were backed by lived service and tangible results.
The First Lady said a six-year relationship between her Angel of Hope Foundation and the Merck Foundation has built a “very strong partnership” helping the country in many ways, achieving collaborations in the areas of health, education, media, and socio-economic development.
“These collaborations have resulted in the formation of various experts in the country, including health professionals, students, and the media. Doctors have received scholarships for training in critical specialities across a wide range of programmes from medicine, surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology, and paediatrics.
“These critical skills are so important in Zimbabwe because we strive to be an upper middle-income country by 2030. Training in Zimbabwe means that we will not import people with these critical skills from elsewhere,” she said.
As inclusivity runs in the veins of the First Lady, she said the doctors being trained will not only serve in the cities but in all areas, including hard-to-reach places, so that no one and no place is left behind.
Dr Mnangagwa said the Angel of Hope Foundation is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to identify and engage with the beneficiaries of these programmes so that, as much as possible, they remain in the public service with these skills.
“As we speak, we have opened two centres of excellence in fertility in Harare and Bulawayo, our two major cities in Zimbabwe. Thanks to the expertise being provided by doctors trained by the Merck Foundation,” she said.
The benefits derived from the Angel of Hope and Merck Foundations traversing into the education sector have been breathtaking, as shared by Dr Mnangagwa.
“We also have a collaboration with the education sector, where girls from underprivileged settings are identified and given scholarships to enable them to get good-quality secondary education. The programme supports more than 40 girls per year in my country.
“This enables them to realise their full potential. It also dovetails into my programmes which I am undertaking in Zimbabwe, which educate girls on shunning early marriages, dropping out of school, and unwanted pregnancies,” she said.
Cultural and Heritage patron, Dr Mnangagwa, who is passionate about reconnecting young people with the indigenous rich cultural heritage, traditions, and norms, said she was pulling out all the stops to ensure it is preserved.
“The girls will also learn how to prepare nutritional traditional dishes and observe our geo-cultural norms through a programme I initiated called Nhanga for Girls and Gota for Boys. In this one, I take the girls separately from boys into a rich area for seven days, where I train them in Ubuntu and all the chores from the house.
“We are also grateful to several groups that have been sharing with us. This contributes to instilling positive values in girls and boys,” she said.
As for the fourth estate, the First Lady was also grateful for support from the Merck Foundation.
“We have witnessed in Zimbabwe the depth of the media’s researched articles on all health and socio-economic issues. The media, for us, has been motivated to work hard and has equally advanced and also improved themselves. I would like to wish our relationship to remain strong as we continue to serve,” she said.
The Summit was fully charged with sisterhood and shared responsibility, as Dr Mnangagwa’s role was both foundational and inspirational.
Merck Foundation chief executive Senator Dr Rasha Kelej was ecstatic about the success stories realised in different countries through partnerships between First Ladies and the Merck Foundation.
For her, it was a time to celebrate achievements, including over 2 200 scholarships being provided for doctors from across 52 countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.
“This is our mission: to transform the landscape of the healthcare sector in Africa and in many countries in Asia, so there is hope that we could have access to quality and equitable care solutions,” she said.
Dr Kelej said the empowerment of the girl child through education is also a top priority, with thousands of scholarships for them, as it helps eliminate vices such as early child marriages.
She also shared how they are empowering the media through media awareness, film, fashion, and media awards.
Merck Foundation Board of Trustees chairman Professor Dr Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp said the gathering is far more than a summit but a powerful symbol of what can be accomplished when there is unity with a structured vision and purpose.
“Our vision at the Merck Foundation has always been simple, yet deeply transformative: that everyone should be able to lead a healthy and happy life.
“This vision has driven our mission to build and advance healthcare capacity, transform the patient care landscape, raise awareness on infertility, empower women, and support girls’ education,” he said.
Other First Ladies also spoke on the programmes they have implemented in their respective countries, including the inspirations drawn.
Nigerian First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was among the newest members, pledged to work well with the Merck Foundation.
“I welcome the partnership with the Merck Foundation to build healthcare capacity, media capacity, break infertility stigma, and support girls’ education,” she said.
Liberia First Lady Mrs Kartumu Yarta Boakai said her source of inspiration was the work being done by fellow First Ladies.
“I was inspired, challenged, and energised by the extraordinary work my sisters are doing across the continent,” she said.
Kenyan First Lady Mrs Rachel Ruto emphasised the importance of teamwork and collaboration in achieving goals, sharing a quote often attributed to Henry Ford that says, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”
“I am grateful to be associated with the Merck Foundation, and I applaud your commitment to transforming lives through improving access to healthcare and girls’ education.
“This remarkable platform inspires collaboration, action, and great impact across our global continent and world,” she said.
Angola First Lady Dr Ana Dias Lourenço and her Mozambican counterpart Mrs Gueta Selemane Chapo acknowledged being inspired by the sterling work being done by their counterparts through collaborations with the Merck Foundation.
From the Asian continent, the First Lady of Maldives, Mrs Sajidha Mohamed, also shared her insights, specifically in the health sector, where she said there is a need to widen cooperation, especially in the training of specialist doctors.
“We are also in discussion to facilitate the arrangement of our doctors in other critical specialties. Our collaboration with the Merck Foundation has already established a strong partnership,” she said.
The Merck Foundation is dedicated to advancing health equity by supporting innovative programmes and partnerships to improve the health and well-being of people around the world.
Merck Foundation has so far provided more than 2,200 scholarships to young doctors from 52 countries in critical and underserved specialties, including in Zimbabwe, as part of healthcare and specialist training scholarships.
In Zimbabwe, over the years, hundreds of scholarships have been awarded to medical professionals in areas like fertility and embryology, oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular health, endocrinology, respiratory medicine, clinical microbiology, psychiatry, neonatal care, and more.
Several doctors completed fertility and embryology training in India, while others received diplomas or Master’s degrees in Sexual & Reproductive Medicine from the UK and Spain.
Additional scholarships in diabetes care, endocrinology, preventive cardiology, respiratory medicine, clinical microbiology, acute medicine, and oncology have built critical capacity within Zimbabwe’s public health sector.
In 2023-2024, Merck Foundation extended oncology, palliative care, pain management, radiation oncology and psychiatry scholarships to Zimbabwean doctors and nurses. The goal: improving cancer care and addressing drug/substance abuse through trained specialists.
Zimbabwean health professionals also received training on advanced digital mammography equipment in Belarus, further broadening the country’s diagnostic capabilities.
Girls and vulnerable communities are being empowered.
As part of the Educating Linda initiative, 40 schoolgirls were supported through scholarship funding to complete their education.
Beyond healthcare, Dr Mnangagwa’s Angel of Hope Foundation has delivered free cervical, breast, and prostate cancer screening; set up rural health clinics; provided vocational training including sewing and pad-making; and supported teen mothers and school drop outs toward self-sufficiency.
She led the campaign that resulted in 800 000 girls being vaccinated against HPV, advancing the fight against cervical cancer.
In the education sector, Dr Mnangagwa, as Ambassador of Merck More Than a Mother, handed over thousands of illustrated storybooks, Tudu’s Story, Educating Rujeko, and Make the Right Choice to the Ministry of Primary & Secondary Education.
These books address key themes such as breaking infertility stigma, promoting girls’ education, and raising Covid-19 awareness, alongside lessons in values like honesty and hard work.
The Angel of Hope Foundation and Merck Foundation have also initiated health media training and awareness campaigns.
Dr Mnangagwa co-organised Zimbabwe’s first Merck Foundation Health Media Training with the Ministries of Health and Information, empowering journalists to address sensitive topics like infertility accurately and compassionately. Ongoing media mentorship has been reinforced with Media Recognition Awards, Health Media Training modules, and campaigns to break stigma around infertility.
Dr Mnangagwa co-chaired the Merck Foundation Annual Summit (2021) and participated in the Africa-Asia Luminary Summits (2023), collaborating with fellow First Ladies and Dr Rasha Kelej to review program impact and plan future initiatives.
During these meetings, she shared success metrics like 122 scholarships awarded by late 2024 and launched specialised programmes in oncology, substance abuse rehabilitation, and expanded media and education initiatives.
