It was an immense honor to welcome and meet my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H., First Lady of the Republic of Kenya and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother,” at the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025. The Summit was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation & President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative, and H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H., alongside the esteemed First Ladies of Angola, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.
Merck Foundation Chairman, CEO, and 14 First Ladies inaugurate the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative – MFFLI Summit
Together with my dear sister, we have achieved a lot, since our partnership journey began. We have provided 244 scholarships for local Kenyan doctors in many critical and underserved specialties like Fertility & Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiology, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Gastroenterology, Respiratory Medicine, Acute Medicine, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Neonatal Medicine, Urology, Pain Management, Critical Care, Rheumatology and more. And around 50% of these scholarships are provided to female healthcare providers which is a great milestone of women empowerment.
Merck Foundation has provided over 2,280 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties. We have always believed in the importance of building healthcare capacity and have been working for it since 2012. We will continue to build and enhance healthcare capacity in the Kenya and the rest of the Africa and beyond.
Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Kenya & Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother during the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025 here:
Watch the video of MFFLI committee meeting:
Moreover, as part of our “Educating Linda” program, we are supporting the education of 47 high-performing yet underprivileged schoolgirls annually in Kenya, in partnership with The First Lady, empowering them to pursue their dreams and shape a brighter future.
Additionally, we have conducted three editions of our Online Health Media Training in partnership with the Office of The First Lady to equip Kenyan journalists to raise awareness on critical social and health issues. We have also launched seven children’s storybooks—“More Than a Mother,” “Educating Linda,” “Jackline’s Rescue,” “Not Who You Are,” “Ride into the Future,” “Sugar Free Jude,” and “Mark’s Pressure”—to address issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, stopping GBV, and promoting diabetes and hypertension awareness. These storybooks will soon be available in Swahili.
During the Summit, we announced the Call for Applications for our eight Merck Foundation Awards in partnership with The First Lady of Kenya, targeting Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents. These awards aim to inspire creative storytelling to address pressing issues like Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending FGM, and Promoting Diabetes and Hypertension Awareness. I warmly invite Kenya’s young talents to submit their creative work to submit@merck-foundation.com by 30th September 2025 for “More Than a Mother” awards and 30th October 2025 for “Diabetes & Hypertension” awards.
View All Call for Applications
Apply Online Now
The Summit’s hybrid format enabled over 6,000 participants from more than 70 countries to join our discussions, amplifying our collective impact and fostering meaningful dialogue on healthcare and social challenges.
Kind Regards,
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej
CEO of Merck Foundation
President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI)
President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign
