{"id":8578,"date":"2026-04-07T13:55:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T09:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8578"},"modified":"2026-04-07T14:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T10:12:30","slug":"message-from-senator-dr-rasha-kelej-ceo-of-merck-foundation-on-meeting-the-first-lady-of-central-african-republic-at-the-7th-edition-of-merck-foundation-first-ladies-initiative-summit-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/?p=8578","title":{"rendered":"Message from Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, on Meeting The First Lady of Central African Republic 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\/1_HERO.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8579\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_HERO.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1_HERO-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 BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central African 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 BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central African Republic and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d at the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit. It 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>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central African Republic &amp; Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d<\/strong>, along with\u00a0<strong>First Ladies of Angola, Cabo Verde, Gabon, 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-20251-7-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8580\" 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-20251-7-1024x682.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-20251-7-300x200.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-20251-7-768x512.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-20251-7-1536x1023.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-20251-7-600x400.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-20251-7.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>Together with my dear sister, we have provided scholarships for young doctors in the fields of Oncology and Diabetes, and we will continue to scale up these programs to transform the public healthcare landscape in the country. We have also embarked on important initiatives to strengthen healthcare capacity and address critical social and health challenges, including the enrollment of more local doctors into our scholarship program. I am equally proud that, through our\u00a0<em>Educating Linda<\/em>\u00a0program, we are supporting 40 deserving yet underprivileged schoolgirls to complete their education until graduation, empowering them to pursue their dreams and build a better future.<\/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\/2026\/04\/KAS00207.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8581\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/KAS00207.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/KAS00207-300x200.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\/445.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8582\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/445.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/445-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/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\u00a0<strong>2,280 scholarships<\/strong>\u00a0for doctors from\u00a0<strong>52 countries<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0<strong>44 underserved specialties<\/strong>, and we will be enrolling more local doctors from Central African Republic in partnership with the First Lady and the Ministry of Health.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" 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-2025-4-6-1024x623.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8583\" 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-2025-4-6-1024x623.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-2025-4-6-300x182.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-2025-4-6-768x467.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-2025-4-6-1536x934.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-2025-4-6-600x365.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-2025-4-6.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\/255.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8584\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/255.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/255-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Central African Republic &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=\"CAR FL, H.E. BRIGITTE TOUADERA Speech @ 7th Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6bcJHbzwK3k?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:<\/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>Together with the Office of the First Lady of Central African Republic, we have conducted\u00a0<strong>3 editions<\/strong>\u00a0of our Online Health Media Training to encourage the media to be the voice of the voiceless and raise awareness on critical social and health issues. We have also implemented the\u00a0<em>Empowering Berna<\/em>\u00a0program to support infertile and childless women by helping them establish small businesses and become economically independent. In addition, we have launched seven French-language children\u2019s storybooks \u2014<strong>\u00a0<em>More Than a Mother, Educating Linda, Jackline\u2019s Rescue, Not Who You Are, Ride into the Future, Sugar Free Jude,<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Mark\u2019s Pressure<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 to address infertility stigma, support girl education, stop GBV, and promote diabetes and hypertension awareness.<\/p><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\/u1706-63.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8585\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/u1706-63.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/u1706-63-200x300.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\/u1706-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8586\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/u1706-10.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/u1706-10-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><p>During the Summit, we also announced the Call for Applications for our eight Merck Foundation Awards in partnership with The First Lady of Central African Republic for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents. These awards aim to encourage young talents in Central Africa to create work that raises awareness about issues such as Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Stopping Gender Based Violence, Ending Child Marriage and FGM, and promoting early detection &amp; prevention of Diabetes &amp; Hypertension. I invite Central African Republic\u2019s young talents to submit their creative work to&nbsp;<strong>submit@merck-foundation.com<\/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\/2026\/04\/IMG_9701-Copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8587\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9701-Copy.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9701-Copy-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\/354.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8588\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/354.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/354-300x200.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\/IMG_98781.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8589\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_98781.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_98781-300x200.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=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9896.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8590\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9896.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9896-300x180.jpg 300w\" 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-2025-5-6-1024x644.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8591\" 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-2025-5-6-1024x644.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-2025-5-6-300x189.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-2025-5-6-768x483.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-2025-5-6-1536x967.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-2025-5-6-600x378.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-2025-5-6.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><p>The Summit\u2019s hybrid format enabled over&nbsp;<strong>6,000 participants<\/strong>&nbsp;from more than&nbsp;<strong>70 countries<\/strong>&nbsp;to join our discussions, amplifying our 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=\"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-141-5-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8592\" 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-141-5-1024x683.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-141-5-300x200.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-141-5-768x512.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-141-5-1536x1024.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-141-5-600x400.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-141-5.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\/IMG_9910.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8593\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9910.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_9910-300x200.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\/640.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8594\" style=\"width:1026px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/640.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/640-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" 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-2025-3-2-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8595\" 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-2025-3-2-1024x614.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-2025-3-2-300x180.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-2025-3-2-768x460.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-2025-3-2-1536x921.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-2025-3-2-600x360.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-2025-3-2.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"557\" src=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5-1024x557.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5-1024x557.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5-768x418.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5-1536x835.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5-600x326.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-3-5.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-2025-6-7-1024x621.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rasha-kelej.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MFFLI-2025-6-7-1024x621.jpg 1024w, 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\/><\/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 BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central African Republic and Ambassador of Merck Foundation \u201cMore Than a Mother\u201d It was a pleasure welcoming and meeting my dear sister, H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, First Lady of Central African Republic and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8579,"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-8578","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 Central African Republic 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=8578\" \/>\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 Central African Republic 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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