THE Awards will honour and reward outstanding journalistic coverage that enhances the public’s engagement and understanding of infertility stigma and the need to change the social perception of it in African communities.

“We have established this award in partnership with Africa Fertility Society to showcase and appreciate outstanding health journalism and to recognize individual professional journalists and students who have produced accurate, informative, and compelling stories about infertile women or couples,” Rasha Kelej, chief social officer of Merck Healthcare and President of ‘Merck More than a Mother’, said.

The stories targeted are those of infertile women sharing their suffering and abuse by their husbands, families or communities due to their condition. It is very critical to share these stories with the public to build advocacy of the need to change such behavior and break the stigma around infertility in general. It also will provide a platform for those who have sought treatment to advise others on the journey and support those undergoing infertility treatments.

The stories submitted should be in a form of articles with photos, or three to five minute videos recorded using smart devices.

Visit our website to see example of the videos and different articles about infertile women, men and couples: www.MerckMoreThanAMother.com.

The Awards will honor and reward outstanding journalistic coverage that enhances the public’s engagement and understanding of infertility stigma and the need to change the social perception of it in African communities.

— May 15, 2017 @ 21:10 GMT