Merck Connections
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Featured Retiree – Jean Semler
A DREAM, INSPIRATION AND OPPORTUNITY
Ever since she was 10 years old, Jean Semler dreamed of helping those in need in Africa. Growing up, she donated money in school for children in Africa; later in life, she continued that support by having her own family sponsor children there. But on a relaxing day in August 2006 – three years after Jean retired from Merck – she was inspired to help in an even bigger way and really fulfill that dream.
It began with a visit in their New Jersey home with Father Lawrence Kimbowa, a native of Uganda. He shared the story of his childhood there – the civil war, the refugee camp and the Chicago couple who sponsored his education and changed his life. He also shared the promise he made to himself – to give the children of Uganda the rare opportunity he was given as a child: the gift of education.
Inspired by Fr. Kimbowa’s story, Jean and her husband, David Thelen, traveled to Uganda that same year and witnessed great need – half of Uganda’s population is under 15 years old and many children have lost one
or both parents to HIV/AIDS. For most of these children, a quality education was not an option. Jean recognized the opportunity to truly make a
difference, and she knew that the knowledge and business and
management skills she learned at Merck – in addition to the network of people she built during this time – would play a large role in this effort.
INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE
Jean was employed for nearly 21 years at Merck. As a business manager for hospitals in New York and later, a business manager for the HIV group in New York City, she was part of the team that brought the lifesaving antiretroviral drug CRIXIVAN® to people dying from AIDS. Through her work at Merck, she was acutely aware of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
“I am very grateful for my Merck experience. It has opened many doors, and by going through them, many Ugandan children and families have hope for healthier and more prosperous lives,” said Jean.
CHANGEALIFE UGANDA
Beginning with the sponsorship of 10 Ugandan children by friends who wanted to help, Jean and David created ChangeALife Uganda (CALU), which was formally incorporated in March 2007. Modeling itself after the UN Millennium Development Goals to end poverty, followed by a 501 (c)(3)
non-profit classification in April 2008, CALU was poised to make a difference.
“ChangeALife Uganda focuses on education, health care and income-generating opportunities,” explained Jean. “And it concentrates on children, because ‘children, are the catalyst for change.’” She continued, “And, with so many Ugandan parents with HIV/AIDS, it’s important that at least one
child be educated so that he or she can take care of the family once the parent(s) dies. Our goal is to provide these children and other children living in poverty with the education and skills they need so that they and their families have the opportunity for better futures.”
IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING…
One of the most fulfilling accomplishments for Jean took place in August 2012. CALU opened a new health center in Migyera – a truck stop town on the way to the Sudan. In partnership with Mildmay Uganda, the health center began providing testing, HIV care and antiretrovirals to 167 patients diagnosed with HIV.
“Our work here has really just begun,” explained Jean. “I remember back in 2006 when a nurse here told me about the large number of people dying of HIV because of a lack of medication. I immediately recalled the 1996 New York Times headline highlighting a 50 percent reduction in mortality because of the new protease inhibitors, especially CRIXIVAN®. Here it was 2006 – 10 years later – and people here were still dying of AIDS in large numbers.”
Now – 16 years later – the treatment and medication are finally available here, thanks to CALU. “Having the opportunity and the gift of meeting so many wonderful and generous people – and many are Merck people – who are making a difference in changing the lives of Ugandan children and families is one of the things I enjoy most about my retirement,” beamed Jean. “I am blessed to be living my childhood dream.”
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