{"id":8249,"date":"2026-04-05T13:33:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T09:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249"},"modified":"2026-04-05T13:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T09:40:23","slug":"message-from-ceo-of-merck-foundation-dr-rasha-kelej-on-meeting-the-first-lady-of-liberia-during-the-12th-merck-foundation-africa-asia-luminary-to-reshape-patient-care-landscape-in-liberia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249","title":{"rendered":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-684x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8250\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-684x1024.jpg 684w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-600x899.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg 801w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia<\/p><p>I am proud to share that Merck Foundation recently conducted the&nbsp;<strong>12th Edition<\/strong>&nbsp;of our annual conference,&nbsp;<strong>\u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d<\/strong>, in partnership with the&nbsp;<strong>Government of The Gambia in Banjul, The Gambia<\/strong>. The conference was co-chaired by&nbsp;<strong>H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of Gambia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother and myself.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong>along with&nbsp;<strong>The First Ladies of Burundi, Central Africa, Nigeria, S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe and Senegal&nbsp;<\/strong>joined as the&nbsp;<strong>Guests of Honor<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Keynote Speakers.<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1-1024x728.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1-1024x728.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1-768x546.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1-1536x1092.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1-600x427.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025_-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Liberia-Sao-Tome-and-Sengal-L-R-during-the-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>It was a pleasure meeting my dear sister\u00a0<strong>H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, First Lady of the Republic of Liberia and the Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0at the 12<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0Africa Asia Luminary. Together, we have provided 52 scholarships for young Liberian doctors in the fields of Fertility, Embryology, Sexual &amp; Reproductive Care, Oncology, Diabetes care, Acute Medicine, Paediatrics, and Dermatology. Many of these doctors have become the first specialists in the public healthcare sector. I am also proud to share that the current Liberia Minister of Health is a Merck Foundation alumnus. This is a true testament of our achievement through the joint programs.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8253\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-Vice-President-of-The-Gambia-First-Lady-of-Liberia-during-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p><strong>Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Liberia &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 here:\u00a0<\/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=\"H.E. First Lady of Liberia Speech @ 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ME8Z-Wwu3-Y?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><a>On the first day of the conference, the Plenary Session of the\u00a0<strong>Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025<\/strong>\u00a0took place, featuring keynote speeches of\u00a0<strong>First Ladies of Africa.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Moreover, a high-level ministerial paneldiscussion was also held with\u00a0<strong>African Ministers<\/strong>.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"604\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1-1024x604.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1-1024x604.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1-300x177.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1-768x453.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1-1536x905.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1-600x354.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8513_1-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8094_1-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>On Day 2 of the conference,&nbsp;<strong>Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting<\/strong>&nbsp;was conducted between&nbsp;<strong>The First Ladies of Africa and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO<\/strong>, where&nbsp;<strong>the African First Ladies<\/strong>&nbsp;shared the impact report of Merck Foundation programs in their respective countries, and future strategy was discussed.<\/p><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=\"Dr. Rasha Kelej @ Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Committee - 2025\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sc2XFyU3s10?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 class=\"has-text-align-left\">Together in partnership with\u00a0<strong>The<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Liberia First Lady,\u00a0<\/strong>Merck Foundation has provided\u00a0<strong>52 scholarships<\/strong>\u00a0for local doctors in Liberia in many critical and underserved specialties. We have also initiated \u201c<strong>Educating Linda<\/strong>\u201d Program, as a part of which annual scholarships are provided to\u00a0<strong>40 underprivileged but brilliant girls<\/strong>\u00a0to continue their education, till they graduate. Additionally, Merck Foundation distributed 3000 essential school items sets to school children to support them.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEFB0F_1-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"648\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1-1024x648.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1-1024x648.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1-768x486.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1-1536x972.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1-600x380.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAEFB_1-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>Moreover,<strong>\u00a0Merck Foundation<\/strong>\u00a0together with\u00a0<strong>The First Lady of Liberia\u00a0<\/strong>launched nine children\u2019s storybooks;\u00a0<strong>\u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d, \u2018Educating Linda\u201d, \u201cMake the Right Choice\u201d, \u201cJackline\u2019s Rescue\u201d, \u201cRay of Hope\u201d, \u201cRide into the Future\u201d, \u201cSugar free Jude\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>\u201cMark\u2019s Pressure<\/strong>\u201d, to raise awareness about various social issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, ending child marriage, ending GBV and also health issues like diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Thousands of copies of a few of these storybooks have been distributed to school students of Liberia and many more will be distributed soon.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEC299_1-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"643\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2-1024x643.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2-1024x643.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2-768x482.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2-1536x964.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2-600x377.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ME8594_1-2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Digital-Library\/children-storybooks\">Read Storybooks<\/a><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"943\" height=\"642\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Storybooks.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8261\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Storybooks.png 943w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Storybooks-300x204.png 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Storybooks-768x523.png 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Storybooks-600x408.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 943px) 100vw, 943px\" \/><\/figure><p>We havealso announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in&nbsp;<strong>partnership<\/strong>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<strong>The First Lady of Liberia&nbsp;<\/strong>for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.<\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Upcoming-Programs-&amp;-Call-For-Applications\"><strong>View all Call for applications<\/strong><\/a><br><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Awards-Online-Application-Form\">Apply Online<\/a><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"707\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1-1024x707.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1-1024x707.png 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1-300x207.png 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1-768x530.png 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1-1536x1060.png 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1-600x414.png 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2026-1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>The 12th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2025 was streamed live across all our social media platforms, enabling thousands of participants from over 70 countries to join our discussions, amplify our impact, and celebrate the spirit of partnership and progress.<\/p><p>Kind Regards,<\/p><p><strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.)<\/strong><\/p><p>CEO of Merck Foundation<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MEAE7A_1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Ladies-of-Africa-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Burundi-and-LiberiaL-R-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia I am proud to share that Merck Foundation recently conducted the&nbsp;12th Edition&nbsp;of our annual conference,&nbsp;\u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d, in partnership with the&nbsp;Government of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8250,"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 center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-message"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia | Rasha Kelej<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia | Rasha Kelej\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia I am proud to share that Merck Foundation recently conducted the&nbsp;12th Edition&nbsp;of our annual conference,&nbsp;\u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d, in partnership with the&nbsp;Government of [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rasha Kelej\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KelejRasha\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-05T09:33:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-05T09:40:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"801\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rasha Kelej\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Rashakelej\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Rashakelej\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rasha Kelej\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rasha Kelej\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/person\/429e6f8aa2355c3af69519b29a0fe3a5\"},\"headline\":\"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-05T09:33:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-05T09:40:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\"},\"wordCount\":693,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Messages\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\",\"name\":\"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia | Rasha Kelej\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-05T09:33:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-05T09:40:23+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg\",\"width\":801,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/\",\"name\":\"Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation\",\"description\":\"CEO Merck Foundation\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Rasha-Kelej-129-scaled-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Rasha-Kelej-129-scaled-1.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1051,\"caption\":\"Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KelejRasha\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Rashakelej\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rasha_kelej\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rasha-kelej-a5605022\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCO_bN_T_NodcOYwcPjknaog\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/person\/429e6f8aa2355c3af69519b29a0fe3a5\",\"name\":\"Rasha Kelej\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b836d420e91888c2d8005f217e03f300?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b836d420e91888c2d8005f217e03f300?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rasha Kelej\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia | Rasha Kelej","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia | Rasha Kelej","og_description":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia I am proud to share that Merck Foundation recently conducted the&nbsp;12th Edition&nbsp;of our annual conference,&nbsp;\u201cMerck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary\u201d, in partnership with the&nbsp;Government of [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249","og_site_name":"Rasha Kelej","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KelejRasha\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-05T09:33:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-05T09:40:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":801,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rasha Kelej","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Rashakelej","twitter_site":"@Rashakelej","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rasha Kelej","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249"},"author":{"name":"Rasha Kelej","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/person\/429e6f8aa2355c3af69519b29a0fe3a5"},"headline":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia","datePublished":"2026-04-05T09:33:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-05T09:40:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249"},"wordCount":693,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg","articleSection":["Messages"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249","url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249","name":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia | Rasha Kelej","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-05T09:33:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-05T09:40:23+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_-Main_Merck-Foundation-CEO-with-The-First-Lady-of-Liberia-at-12th-Merck-Foundation-Africa-Asia-Luminary-2025-1.jpg","width":801,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8249#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Message from CEO of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej on Meeting the First Lady of Liberia during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary to Reshape Patient Care Landscape in Liberia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/","name":"Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation","description":"CEO Merck Foundation","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#organization","name":"Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation","url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Rasha-Kelej-129-scaled-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Rasha-Kelej-129-scaled-1.jpg","width":1600,"height":1051,"caption":"Rasha Kelej, CEO Merck Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KelejRasha\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Rashakelej","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rasha_kelej\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rasha-kelej-a5605022\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCO_bN_T_NodcOYwcPjknaog"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/person\/429e6f8aa2355c3af69519b29a0fe3a5","name":"Rasha Kelej","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b836d420e91888c2d8005f217e03f300?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b836d420e91888c2d8005f217e03f300?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rasha Kelej"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8266,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8249\/revisions\/8266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}