Messages

Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO with the First Ladies of Africa and Asia during the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025  At Merck Foundation, we mark World Cancer Day through our sustained, everyday efforts to transform cancer care in Africa by addressing one of its most critical gaps: late diagnosis and the shortage of trained […]

CEO of Merck Foundation, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) with Fashion Designers displaying designs on STOP FGM. I am happy to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2026, together with  my dear sisters the First Ladies of Africa through our “More Than a Mother” and “Educating Linda” programs. FGM is a harmful practice that

I am deeply honored to be recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women for the seventh consecutive year. It is a privilege to be named alongside Africa’s esteemed leaders, including the Presidents of Tanzania and Namibia, and so many inspiring change-makers. Congratulations to all the remarkable women recognized this year. It is especially heartwarming that this recognition

I am proud to share with you the photos from the meeting with the First Lady of Burundi, H.E. ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE recently and recognize her for her efforts to Build Healthcare Capacity, Empower Women, Support Girl Education and Break Infertility Stigma as the Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” Ambassador. Please see all the pictures below: We discussed

Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej with African schoolgirls, to mark International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026. We at Merck Foundation mark ‘International Day of Girls and Women in Science 2026’ by actively supporting and empowering women in science and technology. Although women have made remarkable progress, they are still significantly underrepresented in these fields. Our

We mark International Women’s Day 2026, Together with the First Ladies of Africa and Asia, Ambassadors of our “More Than a Mother” Campaign, and our partners, by reinforcing our 14‑year commitment to empowering women and girls through impactful programs.  Senator, Dr Rasha Kelej during her visit to Uganda. The “More Than a Mother” movement continues to drive

I am deeply honoured to be included in the ‘100 Most Impactful Voices 2026’ list. I sincerely thank ABCD Africa for acknowledging my work over the past 14 years to build healthcare capacity, transform the patient care landscape, break infertility stigma, empower women, and support girl education in Africa and beyond. This recognition is truly very special to me,

Happy Women’s Day to all the women in the world and to the men who support and empower women. Empowering women is the spirit of everything we do at Merck Foundation, and it is part of my DNA as a woman who succeeded through the right support to be CEO of Merck Foundation and to be

I am so happy to share with you an important contribution ‘Plus qu’une MERE’ by a very young talented artist ITEKA Lucky Louange (Lucky-Lou), the daughter of the More Than a Mother Ambassador and Burundi First Lady H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, and the President of Burundi. Thank you so much for this beautiful song dedicated to Merck Foundation

I am extremely happy to announce the winners of Merck Foundation Film Awards “More Than a Mother” 2021 in partnership with African First Ladies. Big congratulations to all the winners. I appreciate the efforts put in by the young talents across Africa in their films through which they have beautifully conveyed important messages in line with