By Lenah Bosibori
Her excellency Rachel Ruto, Kenya’s First Lady has called on all African countries to invest in foundational education and have 46 million children out of school in Eastern and Southern Africa back to learning.
Speaking on Tuesday in Tanzania during the 11th edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary that was officially inaugurated by the president of the united Republic of Tanzania Dr Samia Suluhu, Ruto said that for Africa to address this learning poverty, then it must invest in foundational education and equip children with important skills.
“We face major challenges despite education being a fundamental human right, children remain locked out of learning opportunities due to poverty, conflict and other barriers,” she said. “46 million children remain out of school across Eastern and Southern Africa.”
She further added that sub–Saharan Africa faces one of the world highest rates of learning poverty with 9 out 10 children unable to read and comprehend a simple story by age 10,
The 11th Merck Foundation brought together more than 15 first ladies from Africa and Asia, more than 6,000 online participants, healthcare providers, policymakers and media from over 70 English, French, Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries through a hybrid model.
Further Ruto shared that ‘The More Than a Mother’ campaign by the Merck Foundation has championed the course of marginalized women by raising awareness and fostering empowerment. ‘Working with the Merck Foundation reinforces a shared commitment to empowering women, tackling stigma and driving sustainable change,” she adds.
Kenya has greatly benefited from the foundation despite it being among the five countries who joined the initiative recently.
“For Kenya, the Merck Foundation has provided over 210 scholarships to local doctors in underserved medical specialties, “added Ruto.
According to her, the initiative has a far reached impact on children’s lives and the future prosperity of the continent.
She further noted that nutrition is critical in unlocking children ‘s potential and a healthy meal can be the bridge that enables a child to attend school and concentrate on their education.
“With the Merck Foundation, we will continue to be a benefit to our children, our communities and our continent, I urge the Foundation to consider extending the “More Than a Mother’ campaign to include specific programs that focus on child health and education particularly in the area of school feeding,” she added. “A plate of food is indeed power in a child’ s hands and a healthy child is better placed to learn and succeed in life.”
On her part, Senator Dr Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation said that together with the first ladies will share experiences and discuss the impact of the programs in building healthcare and media capacity.
“We will continue to raise awareness on a wide range of critical social and health issues like Supporting Girls’ Education, Ending Child Marriage, Stopping Gender-Based Violence, Breaking Infertility Stigma, Ending FGM, Women’s Empowerment, and Diabetes and Hypertension Awareness,” shared Kelej.
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees added that Merck Foundation is creating a culture shift and breaking the silence about a wide range of social and health in Africa and underserved communities.
The Foundation has provided 2080 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 42 critical and underserved medical specialties like Oncology, Cancer Care, Diabetes, Fertility Care and many more.