Dr Louise Mapleh Kpoto
Merck Fertility Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni, 2019
Liberia

I am grateful and feel privileged with a sense of fulfilment and a dream come true for undergoing Merck foundation Fertility training program and become the first fertility specialist in Liberia.

This program has prepared me to fill the gap and therefore provide the critically needed help for infertile couples for the first time in their home country. For my patient the opportunity to have accessible and affordable local fertility care gives them hope and security.

Merck Foundation together with our Liberia First Lady are making history in our country by providing training for the first embryologists and fertility specialists in Liberia. It is a dream come true.




Dr. Nowiah Gorpudolo-Dennis
Merck Fertility Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni, 2019
Liberia

Merck Foundation training in fertility care  will greatly enhance and sharpen my clinical skills in providing the accurate diagnosis of infertile couples. This is critical to alleviate the mental stress and financial burden associated with multiple incorrect diagnostic procedures, which tends to delay the initiation of evidence-based treatment protocols. The effective treatment of infertile couples will significantly improve the value of their contributions to the community. Merck Foundation together with our Liberia First Lady are making history by providing training for the first fertility specialists and embryologists in Liberia. I am one of them.



Philip Baysah
Merck Embryology Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni, 2019
Liberia

Don't stop acquiring higher education. Merck Foundation has made my dream of becoming a trained embryologists  came  to life, Merck Foundation together with our Liberia First Lady are making history by providing training for the first fertility specialists and embryologists in Liberia.



Dr. Patience Monica Mator
Merck Embryology Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni, 2018
Liberia

I am very grateful for the opportunity given to me by Merck Foundation to be the first embryologist in Liberia. I worked as a clinician and came across couples who have struggled to have a child but to no avail. Being in an African society especially Liberia, couples are stigmatized for not having a child. So, my dream was to advance my studies and help couples in need of having a child. Now I am glad that through this knowledge obtained from Merck Embryology/Fertility Training Program, couples can now have the opportunity to get local fertility care to overcome the stigma they have faced over the years.

Through Merck Foundation program in partnership with Liberia First Lady , Our country for the first time has their own  local clinical embryologists and fertility specialists .




Pauline Wanjiku Kibui
Embryologist
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Kenya

I got selected as a Merck more than a Mother campaign embryology trainee through the Kenya Fertility Association to represent Kenya at the Merck Africa Embryology Training Program in Indonesia. Training Kenyan embryologists and African as a whole will benefit the entire population as their services will be available to the local citizens at very good prices and of high quality. This was a good experience to advance my skills and my career in embryology. I am thankful to Merck for this opportunity and very excited as the program has answered most of my questions and cemented my knowledge in embryology. I will take back this knowledge back to my country, Kenya.
 
 

Dr Emmanuel Okullo
Embryologist
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Uganda

Merck Foundation is looking at improving awareness of infertility in Africa especially in Sub-Sharan Africa. Infertility needs to be bumped up amongst the necessary or crucial health benefits for the public. The other angle is male infertility which needs to be dealt with as we will go around in circles when treating infertility. Merck is also looking at the social impact of infertility especially to woman and also to men. A woman is more than a baby-making machine. How do we get the society to look at a woman not just as a baby making machine. It is for this that I am very proud to be associated with Merck Foundation. I am really thankful for this experience of the Merck Africa Embryology Training Program and excited to take this back to my country, Uganda.

 
 
 
Dr Nicholaus Mazaguni
Merck Embryology Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Tanzania

The major challenge of infertility we face in our country is that there is a lack of awareness in our community. Majority of infertile couples in Tanzania have never heard of ART, IUI or IVF. Infertility affects both men and women, but you find the responsibility is put solely on the woman resulting in a lot of intimate partner and gender based violence. The second challenge is we have very few, if none at all, trained embryology personnel in our country- both embryologists and clinicians specifically trained in embryology techniques. The cost of fertility treatment therefore is very high so majority of our patients opt to go out of the country to receive treatment, which is problem. The last challenge is the lack of set policies and guidelines to govern ART and fertility practices.

The training we received through the Merck Africa Embryology Training Program has been well structured – first part being the anatomy and physiology of the male and
 
ing Program has been well structured – first part being the anatomy and physiology of the male and female reproductive system; the second part was the theoretical aspect of art and the last part was the practical aspect of clinical embryology.

The opportunity we had to understand the basic principles of advanced clinical embryology so we can have good outcomes has been well covered. I am very grateful for Merck Foundation and IIRRS who are working together had-in-hand for a well-structured training program. The staff at the centre involved in the training are dedicated in terms of making sure that by the time we complete this training we are independent embryologists who can stand alone and we can bring change to our society.

This is a huge responsibility that Merck Foundation has taken on - Building capacity in Africa - which is an important issue so we can tackle infertility, and I believe in the next five to ten years to come this will be A JOB WELL DONE!


 

Dr Kelvin Julius Msuya, 
Merck Embryology Training Program 
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Tanzania

I am very privileged to have been given this opportunity since this is the first batch of embryologists training in India. Merck Africa Embryology Training Program is really fruitful for giving us this opportunity which would have otherwise been difficult getting into. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Merck more than a Mother for having an ear onto under privileged societies and that’s how we got this opportunity of training. So I would like to say thank you to Merck More than a Mother and Merck Africa Embryology Training Program for this opportunity as it not only helped us but our entire community where we are coming from.

 


Dr. Enid Simon Gajaweera
Merck Fertility Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Tanzania

I am so much grateful with Merck Foundation for giving me an opportunity to partake in Merck Africa Embryology Training Program specialist course.

This training has enabled me to acquire more knowledge and skills in my career on advanced Reproductive technology especially IVF which was a new thing to me. I had been read about it but could not see the practical aspect of it.

This course will be beneficial to my clients/patients since it has updated me on a proper way of counselling and treating patients with infertility. I have been seeing clients with fertility issues in my gynecological clinic, but the training has made me to understand how fertility clinics should be conducted so our patients will not feel insecure, as most of them are facing lots of psychological problems. 

There has been a rise in fertility cases in my country which has led to divorce/broken marriages as it has major impacts in African culture, due to the belief that for a woman to be qualified as a mother, she has to have given birth to children, but now I understand that there is more than being a mother.
Fertility treatments are costly, and infertility problem is facing the whole spectrum of society, from those who have good income to the low income group, Hence those who are able to get the right treatment are those who can afford it. 

My duty will be to call upon the Government, Ministry of Health, policy maker to take a closer look at this problem so that it can be given priority. If the Government officials will take it seriously the required service will reach even to the needy one.

  
 
Jonah Amoah
Embryologist
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Ghana

I was selected for the Merck Africa Embryology Training Program by the Ghana Association of Clinical Embryologists and the Fertility Society of Ghana. It is a taboo in our country when you see a couple not having a child. Couples tend to find themselves in all areas such as herbalists or “spiritual’ means in order to have a child. Finally before they end up in a fertility centre a lot might have gone wrong and if they could have been seen earlier, treatment for their infertility could have been easier. Statistics show that divorce rates in Ghana is linked to issues of infertility or childlessness.

 

Georgina Moore 
Embryologist
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Ghana

It is a great honour and unique privilege to be selected by the Ghana Association of Clinical Embryologists (GACE) to be part of the Merck Africa Embryology Training Program.
 
Childlessness is the most vital reason for divorce in Africa including Ghana. The ultimate reason for marriage is to bear children who will continue the name of the family. When a woman gets married the next expectation is a child in a year or less. If this is not achieved, blame is quickly shifted to the woman without doubts, irrespective of any fertility screenings or evaluations done on the couple to rule out the issue. Once men also understand they could form a part of childlessness or understand infertility situations, they will always pull the women along and not allow women to be stigmatized in society. Financial constraints is also a key factor preventing infertile couples from accessing treatment in ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology), resorting to traditional healing which sometimes result in medical complications.
 
‘Merck Africa Embryology Training Program’ is very important to me because it has broadened my knowledge, sharpened my skills and answered a lot of questions on my mind as far as Embryology in ART is concerned.

The Embryology course is well structured with dedicated trained professionals both in theory and practical (hands-on).
 
I will not remain silent about this training and awareness, but take the knowledge acquired through this training to my centre and share with colleagues in the field as well and make it known that the problem of infertility is not only a women issue and also be an ambassador for ‘Merck More than a Mother’ in my country.
 
 

James Afetsi
Embryologist
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Ghana
 

The Merck Africa Embryology Training Program is to me a dream come true for me. Infertility problems is now a big issue in the world and my country Ghana is no exception. Being infertile is a very big issue because of the stigmatization that comes with it. Having a child or children gives a person social recognition and status but if one has no child then he or she becomes a public ridicule. It is so serious because most don’t know where to seek help from. Those who also strife to seek help most of the time fall vulnerable to ill trained people or people without any requisite knowledge of their problems. Patients most of the time end up worsening their situations in the wrong hands. Some also find it difficult to seek help because of lack of proper education on the issues of fertility and in some cases, financial constraints.
 
The Merck Africa Embryology Training Program is vital in the sense that it equips health providers with accurate knowledge and skills in order to help educate, allay patient's fear and treat them with up to date modern methods or technology available. Merck Foundation is really doing a tremendous service beyond measure in this aspect of training in embryology/IVF.
 
Great job Merck Foundation for this initiative; your efforts to help this vulnerable group is greatly appreciated. 

Muckson Essay
Merck Embryology Training Program
Merck Foundation Alumni - 2017
Sierra Leone
 

1. Firstly it is a medical condition that people usually attributes it to some evil spirit spell or traditional.
2. It can affect both male and female, it is a common misconception that only females are affected.
3. Create the platform wherein couple can willingly talk about it with the specialist concern as it another key deterrent because most of the times couple are ashamed to speak/ talk about it with their doctors.