It was a pleasure welcoming and meeting my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, First Lady of the Republic of The Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” at 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit. 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. Dr. ANA DIAS LOURENÇO, The First Lady of the Republic of Angola & Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother”, along with First Ladies of Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, 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 in Dubai 2025
Together with my dear sister, we have achieved a lot, since our partnership journey began in 2017. We have provided 87 scholarships for local Gambian doctors in many critical and underserved specialties like Fertility & Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Neonatal Care, Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Acute Medicine and more. Together, we are making history in The Gambia by providing training to first specialists in many fields such as Oncology, Respiratory, Fertility, Embryology, Reproductive Care, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and we will continue to transform the patient care in the country.
Merck Foundation has been committed to transforming patient care since 2012, and I am proud to share that we have provided over 2,280 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties.
Watch the Speech of The First Lady of The Gambia & 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 a part of our “Educating Linda” program, we are also supporting the education of 40 high-performing yet underprivileged schoolgirls annually in The Gambia, in partnership with The First Lady of The Gambia. Through these scholarships we are empowering the young girls with knowledge and giving them the opportunity to shape a brighter and more secure future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Additionally, we have conducted three editions of our Online Health Media Training in partnership with the Office of the First Lady to equip Gambian 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.
During the Summit, we announced the Call for Applications for our eight Merck Foundation Awards in partnership with The First Lady of The Gambia for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents. These awards aim to inspire creative storytelling to address social and health issues like Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, and Ending FGM. I invite The Gambia’s young talents to submit their work to submit@merck-foundation.com by 30th September 2025 for “More Than a Mother” awards and 30th October 2025 for “Diabetes & Hypertension” awards.
The Summit’s hybrid format enabled over 6,000 participants from more than 70 countries to join our discussions, amplifying our impact.
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
