Merck Foundation 'Mask up with Care' Media Recognition Awards 2021 winners announced

The awards were announced by Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation ‘More Than a Mother’ together with African First Ladies, who are also the Ambassadors of ‘Merck Foundation More Than a Mother’.

Merck Foundation (Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany in partnership with African First Ladies announced the winners of Merck Foundation “Mask up with Care” Media Recognition Awards 2021 with the aim to raise awareness about Coronavirus in Africa. The awards were announced by Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation ‘More Than a Mother’ together with African First Ladies, who are also the Ambassadors of ‘Merck Foundation More Than a Mother’. They congratulated the winners and acknowledged their efforts to sensitize their communities during the global pandemic.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and One of the Most Influential Africans 2019, 2020 & 2021 emphasized, “Together with my dear sisters, the African First Ladies, we congratulate the winners of Merck Foundation ‘Mask up with Care’ Media Recognition Awards 2021. I would like to thank the Media Fraternity who participated and a big congratulations to all the winners! I strongly believe that media plays a very important role to raise awareness, educating communities and presenting relevant & precise information. In this time of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the media has played an exceptional role in spreading awareness about the situation, separating myths from facts at all levels”.

The theme of the awards was: Raise awareness on how to adapt best protection measures such as wearing masks to show people how to care for and love their family & community; to encourage them to choose to vaccinate when it is available and to sensitize them to support healthcare workers who are at the forefront of COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “I am very happy with the work showcased by all our winners; hence it gives me immense joy to announce that Merck Foundation is additionally rewarding the winners by providing them with one year access to an online educational training program called ‘MasterClass’. The ‘MasterClass’ is an immersive online experience and self-paced learning course that can be accessed anywhere with the Internet. I encourage all the winners to also be the storytellers and the voice or the voiceless so that they become Merck Foundation Advocates to help us to raise awareness on health and social issues like eliminating infertility stigma, supporting girl education, ending FGM and GBV, etc. I also welcome them as valuable members of ‘Merck Foundation Alumni’.

Merck Foundation “Mask up with Care” Media Recognition Awards 2021 were announced for African, Latin American, and Asian countries.

(With Inputs from APO)