{"id":7867,"date":"2025-01-23T16:17:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T12:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=7867"},"modified":"2025-01-23T16:17:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T12:17:19","slug":"merck-foundation-ceo-shares-the-partnership-journey-with-sierra-leone-first-lady-2018-to-2023-to-transform-patient-care-support-girl-education-and-break-infertility-stigma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=7867","title":{"rendered":"Merck Foundation CEO shares the partnership journey with Sierra Leone First Lady &#8211; 2018 to 2023 to transform patient care, Support Girl Education and Break Infertility Stigma"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7869\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Merck Foundation CEO and Sierra Leone First Lady meet with other 12 African First Ladies during 9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 to discuss their future strategy and announce their impact report and call for action to build healthcare capacity with special focus on cancer care and empower women &amp; girls in the country.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with Sierra Leone First lady and other partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Watch the partnership journey:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Merck Foundation &amp; Sierra Leone First Lady Partnership Journey 2018- end of 2022\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/09CmmPniGRA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Watch the overview of the 2-day Hybrid 9th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej @ 9th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary - 2022 Overview\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5m4k9Z_M7tg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><\/p><p><strong>Merck Foundation<\/strong>, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the&nbsp;<strong>9th Edition of \u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d.<\/strong>&nbsp;The conference was inaugurated by&nbsp;<strong>Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, and H.E. Dr. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d along with African First Ladies of Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Central Africa.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7871\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone1-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation<\/strong>&nbsp;expressed, \u201cI appreciate and deeply value the fruitful partnership with my dear sister,&nbsp;<strong>H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u2018More Than a Mother\u2019<\/strong>, since 2018. During this time, we have been able to transform the public healthcare sector in Sierra Leone by providing&nbsp;<strong>46 scholarships<\/strong>&nbsp;to young doctors from the country in critical and underserved specialties such as Oncology, Embryology &amp; Fertility, Sexual and Reproductive Health Medicine, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics, Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases, Clinical Psychiatry, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine\u201d.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-21-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7872\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-21-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-21-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-11-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7873\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-11-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-11-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO, The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;shared, \u201cOur partnership with Merck Foundation is since 2018 and we highly appreciate their programs. Together, we have provided 46 scholarships to our doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in many critical fields for our country. I can proudly say that along with Merck Foundation we are making history in Sierra Leone by&nbsp;<strong>providing training for the First Oncologists in the country<\/strong>&nbsp;with the aim to establish the first skilled cancer care team who will be working in our new hospital, this will improve access to quality and equitable cancer care in the country. This is a huge achievement for us since we did not have any oncologists or fertility specialists and we have in general a very limited number of local specialists in the public sector before starting our partnership with Merck Foundation\u201d.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-41-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7874\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-41-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-41-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Watch the video of The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Sierra Leone First Lady, H.E.FATIMA MAADA BIO @ 9th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary - 2022\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XcJmExh4dWw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><\/p><p><a>Watch the video of&nbsp;<strong>Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej receiving&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><strong>H.E. Dr. Mrs. FATIMA MAADA BIO<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Senator,Dr.Rasha Kelej receives SierraLeone First Lady @9th Merck FoundationAfricaAsia Luminary-2022\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UQLOvRMLEvQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><\/p><p>On day 2 of the Luminary,&nbsp;<strong>Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative-<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>MFFLI<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>committee meeting<\/strong>&nbsp;was also conducted between The First Ladies and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO. During the MFFLI committee meeting, a reading session of Children\u2019s storybooks created by Merck Foundation,&nbsp;<strong>\u2018Jackline\u2019s Rescue\u2019 \u2013<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>to focus on the importance of Girl Education and highlight the immoral practices of society including child marriage &amp; dowry system; and&nbsp;<\/em><strong>\u2018A Ride Into The Future\u2019<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<em>to emphasize on the importance of empowering girls through education,<\/em>&nbsp;was also held.<\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/merckfoundation\/public\/uploads\/digital_library\/1639990408_efbd2346fb16c605c12d.pdf\">English<\/a>&nbsp;|<a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/merckfoundation\/public\/uploads\/digital_library\/1639990625_90b566f528e2d39d0ee2.pdf\">&nbsp;French<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/merckfoundation\/public\/uploads\/digital_library\/1639990713_eade4c1e38ba34b98e69.pdf\">Portuguese<\/a><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"726\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_Jacklines-Rescue-story4-1-726x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7875\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_Jacklines-Rescue-story4-1-726x1024.jpg 726w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_Jacklines-Rescue-story4-1-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_Jacklines-Rescue-story4-1-768x1083.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_Jacklines-Rescue-story4-1.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 726px) 100vw, 726px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/merckfoundation\/public\/uploads\/digital_library\/1639993429_cca7a831eeb6dbe2c188.pdf\">English<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/merckfoundation\/public\/uploads\/digital_library\/1641816900_f553e50c9568038379b8.pdf\">French<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/merckfoundation\/public\/uploads\/digital_library\/1641816979_6166fedfdfcf6d924cd4.pdf\">Portuguese&nbsp;<\/a><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"725\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_RIDE-INTO-THE-FUTURE-General-version4-725x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7876\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_RIDE-INTO-THE-FUTURE-General-version4-725x1024.jpg 725w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_RIDE-INTO-THE-FUTURE-General-version4-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_RIDE-INTO-THE-FUTURE-General-version4-768x1085.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/EN_RIDE-INTO-THE-FUTURE-General-version4.jpg 836w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 725px) 100vw, 725px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Watch the video of MFFLI<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>committee meeting:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej @ Merck Foundation Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI Committee 2022\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hGd8fTM7qwg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><p><br>During the Luminary, a meeting between&nbsp;<strong>The First Lady of Sierra Leone and Merck Foundation CEO<\/strong>, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej was also held to discuss the impact of on-going programs and define strategies to further build healthcare and media capacity in Sierra Leone.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-71.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7877\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-71.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-71-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-51.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7878\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-51.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-51-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Merck Foundation<\/strong>&nbsp;also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in&nbsp;<strong>partnership<\/strong>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<strong>The First Lady of Sierra Leone&nbsp;<\/strong>for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"596\" height=\"842\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7879\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235.jpg 596w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"596\" height=\"842\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7880\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236.jpg 596w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"718\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20235-718x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7881\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20235-718x1024.jpg 718w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20235-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20235-768x1096.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20235.jpg 841w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"597\" height=\"843\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Song-Awards-_-General-English-20237.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7883\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Song-Awards-_-General-English-20237.jpg 597w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/MTM-Song-Awards-_-General-English-20237-212x300.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235-724x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7884\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235-768x1086.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Media-Awards-_-General-English-20235.jpg 849w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236-724x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7886\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236-768x1086.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Film-Awards-_-General-English-20236.jpg 849w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20237-724x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7887\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20237-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20237-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20237-768x1086.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Fashion-Awards-_-General-English-20237.jpg 849w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Song-Awards_-General-English-20236-724x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7888\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Song-Awards_-General-English-20236-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Song-Awards_-General-English-20236-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Song-Awards_-General-English-20236-768x1087.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/D_H-Song-Awards_-General-English-20236.jpg 848w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure><p>Together with\u00a0<strong>Sierra Leone First Lady, Merck Foundation\u00a0<\/strong>has provided\u00a0<strong>7\u00a0<\/strong>scholarships for the Oncology Specialty Training programs in India and Egypt<strong>.\u00a03<\/strong>\u00a0scholarships have been provided for Fertility and Embryology training program. Furthermore,\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>\u00a0scholarships have been provided to young Doctors in order to upgrade their skills in Sexual and Reproductive Medicine. Also, as part of Merck Foundation Diabetes Blue Points program,\u00a0<strong>15<\/strong>\u00a0scholarships have been provided to young doctors from different provinces of Sierra Leone in various courses like a one-year PG Diploma in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Preventative Cardiovascular, two-year MSc in Diabetes and Diabetes Master course. As a response to the coronavirus outbreak,\u00a0<strong>3<\/strong>\u00a0Doctors have been enrolled for the Post Graduate Diploma in Respiratory Medicine,\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>\u00a0Doctor for the Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine and Clinical Microbiology, and\u00a0<strong>1<\/strong>\u00a0Doctor for infectious diseases.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-91.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7889\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-91.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-91-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-81.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7890\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-81.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-81-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>Moreover,\u00a0<strong>10<\/strong>\u00a0scholarships have been provided for one-year and two-year PG Diploma in the fields of Gastroenterology, Clinical Psychiatry, Trauma and Orthopedics, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Neonatal Medicine, and Dermatology in Clinical Practice, to advance their skills.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-191.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7891\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-191.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-191-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-171.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7892\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-171.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-171-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-181.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7893\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-181.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-181-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>\u201cOur vision is that everyone can lead healthy and happy life. For 10 years this has been true in our mission to build healthcare capacity, transform patient care landscape, break infertility stigma, empower women and support girl education. We will continue to provide medical training to doctors from Sierra Leone in various medical specialties in partnership with the\u00a0<strong>First Lady of Sierra Leone<\/strong>&#8220;, assured\u00a0<strong>Senator,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Dr. Rasha Kelej.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-202.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7894\" style=\"width:1200px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-202.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Sierra-Leone-202-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>The&nbsp;<strong>9th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022&nbsp;<\/strong>was&nbsp;<strong>streamed live on the social media handles of&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/merckfoundation\/\"><strong>Merck Foundation<\/strong><\/a>and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/KelejRasha\/\"><strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p><p><a>Link to the Facebook live steam of&nbsp;<strong>Inaugural Session of<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary &amp; African First Ladies High Level Panel:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KelejRasha\/videos\/1578702445903102\"><strong>https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KelejRasha\/videos\/1578702445903102<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p><strong>Merck Foundation<\/strong>&nbsp;is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with its partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond, through:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>1580 + Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for doctors from 50 Countries in 39 critical and underserved medical specialties. \u00a0<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Merck Foundation<\/strong>&nbsp;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:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>2500+ Media Persons<\/strong>\u00a0from more than\u00a0<strong>50 countries<\/strong>\u00a0trained to better raise Awareness about different social and health issues<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>8 Different Awards<\/strong>\u00a0Launched annually for best media coverage, fashion designers, films, and songs<\/li>\n\n<li>Around\u00a0<strong>30 songs<\/strong>\u00a0to address health and social issues by local singers across Africa<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>8 Children\u2019s Storybooks<\/strong>\u00a0in three languages &#8211; English, French, and Portuguese<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Pan African TV Program &#8220;Our Africa by Merck Foundation\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0addressing Social and Health Issues in Africa through \u201cFashion and ART with Purpose\u201d Community<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>1000+ Girls from 15 African<\/strong>\u00a0countries supported through scholarships or school items, annually.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>9 Social Media Channels<\/strong>\u00a0with more than\u00a0<strong>5 Million Followers.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch the partnership journey: Watch the overview of the 2-day Hybrid 9th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2022 here:&nbsp; Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, recently conducted their annual conference, the&nbsp;9th Edition of \u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d.&nbsp;The conference was inaugurated by&nbsp;Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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