{"id":8480,"date":"2026-04-06T17:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8480"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:13:09","slug":"message-from-senator-dr-rasha-kelej-ceo-of-merck-foundation-on-meeting-the-first-lady-of-gabon-at-the-7th-edition-of-merck-foundation-first-ladies-initiative-summit-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8480","title":{"rendered":"Message from Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, on Meeting The First Lady of Gabon at the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025"},"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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-16.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8481\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-16.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-16-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em><strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation &amp; President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, First Lady of the Gabonese Republic and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p><p>It was a pleasure welcoming and meeting my dear sister, H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, First Lady of the Gabonese Republic and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d at the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit. The Summit was inaugurated by\u00a0<strong>Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation &amp; President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, First Lady of the Gabonese Republic and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0along with the\u00a0<strong>First Ladies of Angola, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 &amp; Pr\u00edncipe, Senegal, and Zimbabwe<\/strong>.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8482\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Image-2-Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-20251-4.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>Together with my dear sister , we have already started providing scholarships for young doctors in the fields of Oncology and Diabetes care, and this is just the beginning of our efforts to transform the public healthcare landscape in Gabon, as we will continue to scale up the number of scholarships.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"623\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3-1024x623.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3-1024x623.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3-1536x934.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3-600x365.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-4-3.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>Merck Foundation has always believed in the importance of building healthcare capacity and has been working for it since 2012. I am proud to share that we have so far provided over 2,280 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 underserved medical specialties, and we will soon be enrolling more doctors from Gabon in various specialties in partnership with the First Lady and the Ministry of Health.<\/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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8484\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-14.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-14-300x200.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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8485\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-9.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-9-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Gabon &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother during the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025 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=\"Gabon FL, H.E. ZITA NGUEMA Speech @ 7th Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3dlUvrUDJeI?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-center\"><strong>Watch the video of MFFLI<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>committee meeting:\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=\"Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej @ Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative - MFFLI Committee Meeting 2025\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G2YlJgkagNQ?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>Moreover, as part of our \u201cEducating Linda\u201d program, we are supporting the education of 20 high-performing yet underprivileged schoolgirls annually in Gabon, in partnership with The First Lady, empowering them to pursue their dreams and shape a brighter future.<\/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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8486\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-2-300x200.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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8487\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-1-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>Additionally, we have conducted our first Health Media Training program in partnership with the Office of The First Lady to equip Gabonese journalists to raise awareness on critical social and health issues like ending gender-based violence, supporting girl education, and addressing diabetes and hypertension. We have also launched seven children\u2019s storybooks in French\u2014\u201cMore Than a Mother,\u201d \u201cEducating Linda,\u201d \u201cJackline\u2019s Rescue,\u201d \u201cNot Who You Are,\u201d \u201cRide into the Future,\u201d \u201cSugar Free Jude,\u201d and \u201cMark\u2019s Pressure\u201d\u2014to address issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, stopping GBV, and promoting diabetes and hypertension awareness.<\/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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8488\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-3.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-3-300x200.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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8489\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-12.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-12-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>During the Summit, we announced the Call for Applications for our eight Merck Foundation Awards in partnership with The First Lady of Gabon 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 Gabon\u2019s young talents to submit their work to\u00a0<strong>submit@merck-foundation.com<\/strong>\u00a0by 30th September 2025 for \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d awards and 30th October 2025 for \u201cDiabetes &amp; Hypertension\u201d awards.<\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Upcoming-Programs-&amp;-Call-For-Applications\">View All Call for Applications<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/merck-foundation.com\/Awards-Online-Application-Form\"><em>Apply Online Now<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2-1024x703.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2-1024x703.png 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2-300x206.png 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2-768x527.png 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2-1536x1054.png 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2-600x412.png 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MF-Awards-2025-ENG2-2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8490\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-6.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-6-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8491\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-17.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-17-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"644\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3-1024x644.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3-1024x644.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3-768x483.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3-1536x967.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3-600x378.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-and-CEO-with-the-First-Ladies-of-Africa-and-Asia-during-the-MFFLI-SUMMIT-2025-5-3.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-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Merck-Foundation-Chairman-CEO-along-with-14-First-Ladies-during-7th-Edition-of-Merck-Foundation-First-Ladies-Initiative-Summi-141-2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-18.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8495\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-18.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-18-300x200.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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8496\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-5.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-5-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>The Summit\u2019s hybrid format enabled over&nbsp;<strong>6,000<\/strong>&nbsp;participants from more than&nbsp;<strong>70&nbsp;<\/strong>countries to join our discussions, amplifying our collective impact.<\/p><p><strong>Kind Regards,<br>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej<br>CEO of Merck Foundation<br>President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI)<br>President of \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d Campaign<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"557\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2-1024x557.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2-1024x557.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2-768x418.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2-1536x835.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2-600x326.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"621\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2-1024x621.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2-1024x621.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2-768x466.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2-1536x932.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2-600x364.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8499\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-4.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-4-300x180.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\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8500\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-15.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-15-300x200.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=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8501\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-11.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-11-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8502\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-10.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-10-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8503\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-13.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-13-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-19.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8504\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-19.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gabon-FL-and-Rasha-Kelej-19-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation &amp; President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative\u00a0and\u00a0H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, First Lady of the Gabonese Republic and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d It was a pleasure welcoming and meeting my dear sister, H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, First Lady of the Gabonese [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8481,"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-8480","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 Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, on Meeting The First Lady of Gabon at the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025 | 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=8480\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Message from Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, on Meeting The First Lady of Gabon at the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025 | Rasha Kelej\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation &amp; President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative\u00a0and\u00a0H.E. 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