International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2024: 780 women scientists receive scholarships

Online Reporter

FEBRUARY 11 was the International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2024.

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an annual observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the full and equal access and participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields.

According to the United Nations, women are often allocated lesser research grants than their male counterparts, and while representing 33.3 percent of all researchers, women make up only 12 percent of national science academies.

The tide is changing as more women are getting opportunities in science.

In a statement, Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, said it has provided 780 scholarships to women doctors to empower women in science.

Merck Foundation chief executive Senator, Dr Rasha Kelej said: “We at Merck Foundation mark ‘International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2024’ by supporting and empowering women in the areas of Science and Technology. Despite the significant strides women have made in their careers, there remains a notable under representation in these areas. We aim to narrow the gender inequality gap and empower women to participate equally in these areas of science and technology.”

Dr Kelej further emphasised, “In partnership with my dear sisters, African First Ladies, we have been transforming the patient care landscape in Africa by providing medical training to young doctors in many critical medical specialties.

“Out of the total 1700 scholarships provided, more than 780 scholarships were for women medical graduates. This is close to 45 percent of the Merck Foundation Alumni, a great milestone for us.”

Merck Foundation annually launches their MARS Awards to encourage and recognise ‘Best African Women Researchers’ and ‘Best Young African Researcher’.

MARS Awards aim to empower women and young African researchers, advance their research capacity and promote their contribution to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

MARS Awards 2024 have been announced recently in partnership with African Union Scientific Technical Research Commission, International Federation of Fertility Societies -IFFS, Africa Reproductive Care Society – ARCS, and Manipal University, India, with a special focus on:

‘The Role of Scientific Research in Women Health and Reproductive & Fertility Care’.

Merck Foundation also announced the Call for Applications for their prestigious Merck Foundation Africa Research Summit (MARS) Awards 2024.

Merck Foundation said it strongly believes that education is one of the most critical areas for women empowerment and serves as the base and key factor in driving an impactful change.

“Together with African First Ladies, we have contributed to the future of 425 girls by providing scholarships to continue their education and also providing essential school items for thousands of schoolgirls through our “Educating Linda” programme in many African countries such as Burundi, Malawi, Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and more.

“Moreover, we have benefitted thousands of girls through our awareness campaign which includes releasing many inspiring children’s storybooks, animation films and songs to support girl education and end child marriage,” shared Senator Kelej.

Additionally, Merck Foundation announced it is adapting storybooks to create interesting animation films to reach out to the communities to raise awareness on the importance of supporting girls’ education and ending child marriage.

“We also launch annual awards of best media work, film, song and fashion designs to support girl education and raise awareness on other sensitive social issues,” added Senator Kelej.

Moreover, through their “Our Africa” TV programme, Merck Foundation emphasised the importance of supporting girls’ education through many episodes and has dedicated three episodes out of the 15 to this topic. The pan-African TV programme is conceptualised, produced, directed, and co-hosted by Dr Kelej.

The TV programme has been broadcasted on National TV Stations of Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and many other countries.