Merck Foundation

"I am happy to share photos from my meeting with Hon’ble Ms. Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare of Mauritius. We discussed our long-term partnership to implement the Merck Foundation Educating Linda Programme to support girls’ education in Mauritius." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I am truly proud to mark the 10th Anniversary of “More Than a Mother” movement, which I created in 2015. It has been an extraordinary journey, one that is very close to my heart. Celebrating and dancing with Ugandan childless women for their success after Merck Foundation established small business for them. They are now stronger and happier. They are “More Than a Mother” heroines." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation youtu.be/eTxECFi6b0Q

"I am honoured to share a summary of the official launch of Merck Foundation programmes in Ghana. I was happy to meet our long-term partner and my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. Lordina Dramani Mahama, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, and to honour her outstanding contribution as the Ambassador of the Merck Foundation More Than a Mother campaign. During the visit, we officially launched Merck Foundation programmes in the country and reaffirmed our commitment to working together to build healthcare and media capacity, transform the patient care landscape, break infertility stigma, and support girls’ education across Ghana. I am proud to share that, to date, we have provided 257 scholarships to local Ghanaian healthcare providers in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties, with the aim of establishing a strong network of skilled and specialised healthcare providers across the country's healthcare sector. Moreover, through our Educating Linda Programme, we are providing annual scholarships to 40 high-performing yet underprivileged Ghanaian schoolgirls, helping them complete their education. Educating and empowering young girls is one of the most powerful investments we can make in building stronger families, thriving communities, and a brighter future for our nation." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I welcome you all to hear the success story of Dr. Bennadettee Biton, Merck Foundation Alumni, (one year Postgraduate Diploma in Acute Medicine - 2020) from Zimbabwe." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation youtube.com/watch?v=P5inbvKj…

"It is a great honor to partner with my dear sister, Nigeria First Lady, H.E. Senator OLUREMI TINUBU, CON who is also an Ambassador of 'Merck Foundation More Than a Mother'. In a short period of time we continue to scale up our impactful programs—building healthcare and media capacity, breaking the stigma around infertility, and supporting the education of girls across the country. We also recently visited Nigeria and welcomed H.E as one of the Ambassadors of the historic "More Than a Mother" campaign. Together, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing Girl Education, Empowering Women, and Ending Child Marriage at all levels." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I am proud to celebrate the winners of the Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2025, under the themes "More Than a Mother" and "Diabetes & Hypertension". I am truly impressed by both the quality and quantity of entries we received this year. Our winners have creatively and effectively conveyed important social and health awareness messages through their work." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I am delighted to share the powerful moments from Day 1 at the Protocol Room! Behind the scenes with the incredible First Ladies of Africa as we prepared for the 12th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025, held in The Gambia — co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of The Gambia, and myself as CEO of Merck Foundation." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I was delighted to meet my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. Kaone Boko, and appoint her as an Ambassador of the Merck Foundation More Than a Mother campaign. We also launched our long-term partnership to scale up our programs. Together, we will continue to transform the patient care landscape by building healthcare and media capacity, breaking the stigma surrounding infertility, and supporting girls’ education in Botswana. Stay tuned for exciting updates!" Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"It is a great honor to recognize my dear sister, H. E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO, Kenya First Lady as the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” and officially launch our long-term partnership to build healthcare capacity, support girls’ education and break the infertility stigma in Kenya. I am proud that, as part of the Educating Linda program, in partnership with Voice of Children Foundation of Kenya First Lady, we have provided 40 Annual Scholarships and Grants to young girls from Kenya. I am proud that through our long-term partnership we have provided 328 scholarships for young Kenyan healthcare providers in 44 critical and underserved specialties. I am also happy to share that nearly 50% of these scholarships have been awarded to women healthcare providers, reinforcing our commitment to women empowerment." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

I have often said that “excellence is a moving target.” But over the last few days, I have been reflecting on how differently this statement can be interpreted—and sometimes misunderstood. So I decided to explain more clearly what I mean. For me, continuous improvement means having the ambition to keep raising the standard. It does not mean that today’s standards become optional. It does not excuse underperformance. And it certainly does not mean that every successful system must be continuously changed, complicated, or restructured simply because “nothing is perfect.” There is a difference between continuous improvement and continuous disruption. There is also a difference between constructive challenge that creates value and unnecessary involvement that adds layers, approvals, bureaucracy, cost, and complexity to something that is already working exceptionally well. Sometimes, protecting what works is itself good governance. In this article, I explore why I believe change should have to justify itself, why success does not create automatic entitlement to participation, and why defending high standards should never be confused with defending the status quo. Excellence evolves. Standards remain. Accountability matters. And change should always earn its place by creating value. I would be interested to hear your perspective: When does continuous improvement become continuous interference? Read full Article: rashakelej.substack.com/p/ex…... Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I am happy to share the brief overview of the Merck Foundation Gabon Annual Summit 2026. At the Gabon state house, I am proud to officially launch our programs in partnership with H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, The First Lady of Gabonese Republic, also the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”, the programs which started in 2024 with the aim to transform patient care, build healthcare capacity, break the stigma of infertility, empower women, support girl education in Gabon and the rest of Africa." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

Je voudrais saluer une étape vraiment significative: Burundi1stlady la création du premier centre de FIV du pays par la Fondation de la Première Dame du Burundi, la Fondation Bonne Action Umugiraneza Fondation Bonne action - Umugiraneza , en partenariat avec le Ministère de la Santé. Ils ont créé la Polyclinique Umugiraneza à Kibimba, Gitega, qui comprend ce centre de FIV parmi ses services spécialisés. En savoir plus: merck-foundation.com/ceo-mes… Sénateur, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO de la Fondation Merck Présidente de la « Plus qu'une mère »

"I invite you to watch the success story of Dr. Lydia Ann Ganapathi from Malaysia, an alumna of the Merck Foundation Diabetes & Hypertension Blue Points Program, who holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes. The Merck Foundation Nationwide Diabetes & Hypertension Blue Points Program aims to improve access to equitable, quality care in diabetes, endocrinology, and hypertension across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In collaboration with UK universities, the program provides scholarships for doctors from different provinces, counties, and districts to pursue one-year postgraduate diplomas and two-year master’s degrees in diabetes, endocrinology, preventative cardiovascular medicine, cardiology, and obesity—helping to ensure geographical coverage across their countries. The program also provides scholarships for a one-year, on-site clinical training program in diabetes and hypertension in India. French-, Portuguese-, and Spanish-speaking doctors in Africa, Asia, and Latin America can also access a three-month online master’s course, endorsed by Diabetes UK, in their respective languages. To date, the program has provided more than 936 scholarships to doctors from 44 countries. After completing their courses, graduates can establish specialty clinics in the public sector in their respective countries. In addition, 30,000 students from medical universities benefited from the Clinical Diabetes and Hypertension Management Program between 2012 and 2016 across nine countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Angola, Mozambique, India, and Indonesia. Just imagine how many patients they can help! Each doctor can support at least 2,000 families per month. Merck Foundation touches people’s lives every day. Congratulations to our Merck Foundation alumni!" Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation youtube.com/watch?v=jugl8TQu…

"It was a great honor to sign a memorandum of understanding with H.E. Dr. Gueta Seleman Chapo, First Lady of the Republic of Mozambique, during the 7th edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit 2025 in Dubai. This MoU marks a significant step forward in our collaboration to strengthen healthcare capacity, advance girls’ education, and continue efforts to break the silence surrounding infertility and gender-based stigma in Mozambique. Her dedication to empowering women and improving access to quality healthcare and education is truly inspiring. I’m proud of this strong partnership and look forward to working together to make a meaningful difference for the people of Mozambique." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation youtu.be/kj-pPMHz29o

"I’m truly proud to mark the 10th anniversary of the More Than a Mother movement, which I created in 2015. It has been an extraordinary journey, and one that is very close to my heart. I created More Than a Mother to break the stigma surrounding infertility and empower women living with infertility by promoting access to information, education, and healthcare, as well as encouraging a change in mindset." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation Read more about the Merck Foundation More Than a Mother movement: merck-foundation.com

"It was a great honor to visit my dear sister, H.E. Madam Zita Oligui Nguema, First Lady of Gabon and Ambassador of the Merck Foundation More Than a Mother campaign, to officially launch our long-term partnership to build healthcare capacity, support girls’ education, and break the stigma surrounding infertility in Gabon. We also visited the Ma Bannière Foundation to learn more about the wonderful work the First Lady is doing. I’m proud to share that, through our partnership, we have provided 16 scholarships to local healthcare providers who will become future healthcare experts in Gabon. They have graduated, are currently undertaking, or will soon begin training through the Merck Foundation scholarship program in critical and underserved specialties, including fertility, embryology, oncology, diabetes, and hypertension. I’m also very happy to share that, together with the First Lady of Gabon, we are supporting girls’ education through annual scholarships for 40 high-performing schoolgirls from underprivileged backgrounds. The scholarships will support them through to graduation, helping them reach their full potential and achieve their dreams." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"Inspiring moments from 2024! As promised, I’m sharing more details about the 2024 Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Committee, where I met with the African First Ladies, our Ambassadors of the More Than a Mother campaign. This video features my opening and closing remarks at the committee meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We shared experiences, knowledge, and updates on development programs in our countries, followed by my overview and feedback, with a special focus on the impact of our joint programs and partnership journey. Please take a moment to listen and learn more." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I was delighted to meet my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. Kaone Boko, and appoint her as an Ambassador of the Merck Foundation More Than a Mother campaign. We also launched our long-term partnership to scale up our programs. Together, we will continue to transform the patient care landscape by building healthcare and media capacity, breaking the stigma surrounding infertility, and supporting girls’ education in Botswana. Stay tuned for exciting updates!" Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation

"I’m happy to share this beautiful song from Malawi by the very talented singer Dan Lu. It is part of the Merck Foundation’s More Than a Mother movement, which seeks to discover African talent to create songs and music that address the stigma surrounding infertility, encourage communities across Africa to say no to infertility stigma, and raise awareness that women’s roles in society extend beyond motherhood. I strongly believe that art and media can play a significant role in raising awareness about sensitive topics such as infertility. When used effectively, they can help break the stigma faced by women experiencing infertility in Africa." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation youtu.be/Ru_c0P4kiSs

"The 13th edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2026 once again demonstrated the growing influence of strategic partnerships in addressing some of the most pressing health and social challenges facing developing countries. Held virtually on June 18 and 19, the annual conference brought together an impressive coalition of leaders, policymakers, healthcare professionals, media practitioners, academics, and development partners from across Africa and Asia. The event was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of the Africa Asia Luminary, alongside 12 First Ladies from Africa and Asia, who participated as Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers. The participation of First Ladies from Angola, Botswana, Cabo Verde, the Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, the Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, and São Tomé and Príncipe highlighted the growing role of presidential spouses in championing healthcare, education, women’s empowerment, and social transformation in their respective countries. At the heart of this year’s conference was a renewed commitment to strengthening healthcare systems, addressing social inequalities, and empowering vulnerable populations through sustainable interventions." Senator, Prof. Dr. RASHA KELEJ CEO of Merck Foundation Read more: newstimesdaily.net/merck-fou…