Merck Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) meets Senegal First Lady & 13 First Ladies of Africa at 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit to discuss the strategy to build healthcare capacity in Senegal
Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative – MFFLI Summit 2025 recently. It was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation&President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative and H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” Campaign along with First Ladies of Angola, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé&Príncipe and Zimbabwe.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej expressed, “It is a great pleasure to welcome H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal, and to appoint her as the Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” Campaign. We are delighted to begin this impactful journey together, through our programs.
I am happy to share that we have so far provided 25 scholarships for Senegalese doctors in many specialties such as Oncology, Diabetes, Fertility, and Embryology. We will soon be enrolling more doctors for various other critical and underserved specialties”.
H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal, and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” Campaign shared, “It is a true honour to be appointed as the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” and join the 7th Edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit, alongside my fellow African and Asian First Ladies. I am greatly inspired by the achievements of my dear sisters through Merck Foundation programs. I am also happy to share that in my country, till date 25 scholarships have been provided for our young doctors across key specialties and especially, Diabetes Mastercourse which has been offered in French language, making it more accessible for our local medical doctors.
In addition, I am excited to launch the ‘Educating Linda’ program, which supports girl education. I firmly believe in empowering girls through education, as it plays a crucial role in building stronger and healthier nations.”
Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Senegal&Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother during the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025 here: https://youtu.be/xQ9fTgcAdOE
Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej receiving H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal, and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”: https://apo-opa.co/3VzYkzz
On day 2 of the Summit, Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting was conducted between The First Ladies of Africa and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO, where the African and Asian First Ladies shared the impact report of Merck Foundation programs in their respective countries, and future strategy was discussed.
Watch the video of MFFLI committee meeting: https://apo-opa.co/3VScool
During the Luminary, a meeting between The First Lady of Senegal and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej was also held to discuss the impact of on-going programs and define strategies to further build healthcare and media capacity in Senegal to improve patient care and raise awareness about wide range of social and health issues in the country.
Watch video of the meeting between Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej and Senegal First Lady: https://apo-opa.co/42NxLL4
Together with Senegal First Lady, Merck Foundation has provided 25 scholarships for local doctors in Senegal in many critical and underserved specialties. Out of 25 scholarships:
- 8 Scholarships have been provided in the vital field of oncology, so that the patients can receive quality and equitable cancer care in their home country.
- 7 Scholarships have been provided for our doctors for hands-on training in Fertility and Embryology, as well as for One-Year Postgraduate and Two-Year Master’s Degrees in Sexual and Reproductive Care. This will significantly contribute to advancement of women’s health and revolutionize the Reproductive and Fertility care in Senegal.
- 10 scholarships have been provided for Diabetes Master Course. Upon completion, these doctors will not only be equipped to effectively treat patients with diabetes but will also play a key role in raising awareness about the condition and promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle in our communities.
Overall, Merck Foundation has provided 2280 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.
Merck Foundation also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in partnership with The First Lady of Senegal for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.
Moreover, in partnership with The First Lady of Senegal, Merck Foundation is launching their children’s storybooks, “More Than a Mother”, “Educating Linda”, “Jackline’s Rescue”, “Not Who You Are”, “Ride into the Future” and “Sugar free Jude”, and “Mark’s Pressure”. The storybooks address various social and health issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, stopping GBV, diabetes and hypertension awareness. The storybooks will be made available in French Language.
The 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative was streamed live on the social media handles of Merck Foundation and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation:
@ Merck Foundation: Facebook (http://apo-opa.co/48sUUWU), X (http://apo-opa.co/4806pVK), Instagram (http://apo-opa.co/4njp4jX), and YouTube (http://apo-opa.co/3VudXZk).
@ Rasha Kelej: Facebook (http://apo-opa.co/42GRagJ), X (http://apo-opa.co/4nrFDdO), Instagram (http://apo-opa.co/4nMaCkb), and YouTube (http://apo-opa.co/4nrFGq0).
Link to the YouTube live stream of Inaugural Session of Merck Foundation First Ladies High Level Panel: https://apo-opa.co/4nKBW2l
Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with their partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond, through:
- 2280+ Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for doctors from 52 Countries in more than 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.
Merck Foundation is also creating a culture shift and breaking the silence about a wide range of social and health issues in Africa and underserved communities through:
- 3700+ Media Persons from more than 35 countries trained to better raise awareness about different social and health issues
- 8 Different Awards launched annually for best media coverage, fashion designers, films, and songs
- Around 30 songs to address health and social issues, by local singers across Africa
- 8 Children’s Storybooks in three languages – English, French, and Portuguese
- 7 Awareness Animation films in five languages – English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili to raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes&Hypertension and supporting girl education.
- Pan African TV Program “Our Africa by Merck Foundation” addressing Social and Health Issues in Africa through “Fashion and ART with Purpose” Community
- 950+ Scholarships provided to high performing but under-privileged African schoolgirls to empower them to complete their studies
- 15 Social Media Channels with more than 8 Million Followers.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.
Contact:
Mehak Handa
Community Awareness Program Manager
Phone: +91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669
Email: mehak.handa@external.merckgroup.com
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About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality&equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare&scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (http://apo-opa.co/48sUUWU), X (http://apo-opa.co/4806pVK), Instagram (http://apo-opa.co/4njp4jX), YouTube (http://apo-opa.co/3VudXZk), Threads (http://apo-opa.co/47TRCf9) and Flickr (http://apo-opa.co/3KhFz1o).
The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors.
