BusinessWire India
Banjul [Gambia]/ Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 3: Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the 12th Edition of their annual conference, "Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary", in partnership with the Government of The Gambia in Banjul, The Gambia. The conference was inaugurated by H.E. Mr. MUHAMMAD B. S. JALLOW, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, together with Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and co-chaired by H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation and President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative along with The First Ladies of African countries, who joined as the Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers:
* H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi
* H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of the Central African Republic
* H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, First Lady of the Republic of Liberia
* H.E. Senator OLUREMI TINUBI, CON First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
* H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, First Lady of the Democratic Republic of São Tome and Principe
* H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, First Lady of the Republic of Senegal
On Day 2 of the Summit, the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Committee (MFFLI) was conducted.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Co-Chairperson of 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 emphasized, "It was a privilege to convene the Merck Foundation Africa First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Committee Meeting together with our Chairman and my dear sisters, the First Ladies of Africa, who are also our Ambassadors of the 'Merck Foundation More Than a Mother'.
During the meeting, we evaluated the impact of our ongoing programs and discussed the 2026 strategy to further strengthen healthcare and media capacity and address critical social and health issues including Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage and FGM, Stopping GBV, Empowering Women, and raising awareness about health concerns such as Diabetes and Hypertension." Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/4jBpqYSWHTQ
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, expressed, "It was truly encouraging to hear from the First Ladies of Africa and Asia about the significant progress made in their countries through Merck Foundation's initiatives and the meaningful impact these programs have had nationally." Watch the video of Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/GySmgsWzpWY
H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Republic of The Gambia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother, also the co-chair of the luminary, emphasized, "I am delighted to welcome my dear sisters, the First Ladies of Africa, along with the Merck Foundation CEO and Chairman, to my country. MFFLI is a vital platform that allows us to reflect on our achievements and discuss the way forward.
I take pride in my partnership with Merck Foundation, through which we are reshaping our public healthcare system and making history by providing scholarships for our very first specialists in crucial fields such as oncology, fertility, and more. Merck Foundation has provided 94 scholarships for Gambian doctors in many critical specialties. Moreover, we are also providing annual scholarships for 40 deserving yet underprivileged girls, helping them to complete their education and achieve their full potential." Watch the video of The Gambia First Lady during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/ISqIZH0NmGM
Merck Foundation also released a new children's storybook and its animation film adaptation titled "Ray of Hope" to raise awareness about cancer, with a special focus on early detection, prevention and access to quality cancer care especially in childhood cancer. The storybook and animation film were released by Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO, together with First Ladies of Burundi, Central Africa, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tome & Principe and Senegal.
Read 'Ray of Hope' storybook here:
https://merck-foundation.com/flipbook-proxy/digital_library/1760607426_e5e3447ae2996a8d743f.pdf#
Watch 'Ray of Hope' animation film here:
https://youtu.be/6vCAufPnCPw
During the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Committee (MFFLI) committee meeting, the African First Ladies shared the progress of Merck Foundation programs in their countries and discussed the 2026 strategy.
H.E. Madam MARIE KHONE FAYE, The First Lady of the Republic of Senegal & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother shared, "I'm proud to join my sisters on this esteemed platform. Each time I get an opportunity to learn more about Merck Foundation's impactful programs and their far-reaching benefits. I'm pleased to share that Merck Foundation has provided 29 scholarships for our young doctors in Oncology, Diabetes, Fertility, and Embryology, and I'm eager to scale up this effort. I am also happy to launch the Merck Foundation Community Awareness initiatives in my country to raise awareness about critical social and health issues. Moreover, we have started the Educating Linda program and are providing annual scholarships to 40 underprivileged but high performing schoolgirls." Watch the video of The First Lady of Senegal during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/9RXLqNgZlqc
H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of São Tome and Principe & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother, stated, "I am honored to be part of this prestigious platform and to bring Merck Foundation's impactful programs to my country as the Ambassador of the More Than a Mother campaign. Through the Educating Linda and Lindo program, we are annually supporting the education of 40 high-performing yet underprivileged girls and boys, giving them the chance to complete their studies and follow their dreams. Merck Foundation has also started to enroll our local doctors for specialty trainings. This is the first time we are working on such programs in our country." Watch the video of The First Lady of São Tome and Principe during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/Ki8NmqyShHg
H.E. Senator OLUREMI TINUBU, CON, The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother shared, "I found the discussions during the MFFLI Committee Meeting truly inspiring and motivating. I'm deeply impressed by the impact Merck Foundation has made in Nigeria, particularly the 81 scholarships for our young doctors in vital fields such as Fertility, Oncology, and Diabetes and many more. I am also deeply passionate about girls' education, and through the Educating Linda program, we are currently providing annual sponsorships to support the education of 71 high-performing yet underprivileged schoolgirls. I am happy to empower the deserving girls in our country." Watch the video of The First Lady of Nigeria during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/YqsSQSS85_I
H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother shared, "I truly value this platform as it helps us share our progress and shape the way forward. Through our partnership with Merck Foundation, we've provided 52 scholarships for doctors in Fertility, Embryology, Oncology, and Diabetes care, and we are now looking forward to expanding into additional critical specialties. We also remain committed to supporting girls' education, with 40 deserving schoolgirls currently being benefiting from the Educating Linda program annual scholarships." Watch the video of The First Lady of Liberia during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/Z2bH574_55E
H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central Africa & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother emphasized, "As one of the early members of this esteemed platform, I remain committed to working closely with Merck Foundation to build healthcare capacity by supporting scholarships for our doctors. I'm also deeply invested in the 'Educating Linda' program, through which we're sponsoring 40 underprivileged schoolgirls in our country. I look forward to expanding these initiatives to further amplify their impact." Watch the video of The First Lady of the Central African Republic during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/t7d1oIeauEM
H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, First Lady of the Republic of Burundi & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than A Mother shared, "I'm truly pleased to engage in meaningful discussions with my dear sisters on the impact of our partnership with Merck Foundation. I'm proud to share that we've provided 244 scholarships for Burundian doctors and will continue expanding this support across 44 critical specialties. We also deeply value the Educating Linda program, through which we are providing annual scholarships for 40 high-performing yet underprivileged schoolgirls. Promoting girls' education remains a shared priority for all of us." Watch the video of The First Lady of Burundi during the MFFLI Committee Meeting in The Gambia: https://youtu.be/iSTMgPV_7WY
The conference was held in a hybrid format and was attended by close to 1,600 participants including healthcare providers, policymakers and media from 52 English, French, and Portuguese speaking countries, who benefited from three parallel scientific and social sessions to advance healthcare capacity and awareness in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties. Additionally, the conference had 2.25 million viewers online from 53 countries, further amplifying its impact and extending access to knowledge and dialogue across continents.
The 12th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary was streamed live on the social media handles of Merck Foundation and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation.
@Merck Foundation: Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
@Rasha Kelej: Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Link to the Facebook live stream of Inaugural Session of 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary: https://www.youtube.com/live/h2_pOgZW9OY?si=u9sRUYz8H5tRC9ca
Summarizing Merck Foundation's initiatives and impact:
Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with their partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond, through:
* 2400+ Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for healthcare providers from 52 Countries in 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 Representatives from more than 35 countries trained by Merck Foundation to better raise awareness about different social and health issues
* 8 Different Awards launched annually for the best Media coverage, Song, Films, and Fashion
* Around 30 songs to address health and social issues, by local singers across Africa
* 9 Children's Storybooks in four languages - English, French, Portuguese, and Swahili
* 6 Awareness Animation Films in five languages - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili to raise awareness about breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education and prevention and early detection of Diabetes, Hypertension & Cancer
* Pan African TV Program "Our Africa by Merck Foundation" addressing Social and Health Issues in Africa through "Fashion and ART with Purpose" Community
* 1100+ Scholarships provided annually to high-performing but under-privileged African schoolgirls from 18 countries, to help them to complete their studies and empower them to reach their full potential
* 15 Social Media Channels with more than 8.5 Million Followers
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