Dr. Rasha Kelej Discusses With Maldives First Lady Their Joint Programs To Build Healthcare And Media Capacity And Support Girl Education

2026-01-09 08:08:29

(MENAFN- APO Group)

Merck Foundation ( ) CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej met H.E. Madam SAJIDHA MOHAMED, First Lady of the Republic of Maldives and Ambassador of Merck Foundation“More Than a Mother”, during the 7^thEdition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative - MFFLI Summit 2025. The Summit which was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) CEO of Merck Foundation&President of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative and H.E. Madam SAJIDHA MOHAMED, First Lady of the Republic of Maldives and Ambassador of Merck Foundation“More Than a Mother” along with First Ladies of Angola, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé&Príncipe, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.

Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) expressed,“I was a pleasure meeting my dear sister, H.E. Madam SAJIDHA MOHAMED, First Lady of the Republic of Maldives and Ambassador of Merck Foundation“More Than a Mother” for the 7^th Edition of our Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit. I also visited Maldives recently to meet her. During our meeting we discussed our joint programs and underscored our commitment towards building healthcare capacity and transforming patient care landscape by providing scholarships for local doctors. We have already started to enroll doctors for Fertility and Embryology trainings”.

H.E. Madam SAJIDHA MOHAMED, First Lady of the Republic of Maldives, and Ambassador of Merck Foundation“More Than a Mother” emphasized,“I am very proud of our partnership with Merck Foundation. I am happy to share that we have already started providing scholarships for our local doctors in Fertility and Embryology training. These are two very critical specialties for our country. We also plan to enroll our doctors in other specialties, further underscoring our partnership with the Merck Foundation to enhance healthcare capacity in the country.”

Watch the Speech of The First Lady of Maldives&Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother during the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit 2025 here:

Watch the video of Merck Foundation CEO receiving H.E. Madam SAJIDHA MOHAMED, First Lady of the Republic of Maldives, and Ambassador of Merck Foundation“More Than a Mother ”:

On day 2 of the Summit, Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative- MFFLI committee meeting was conducted between The First Ladies of Africa and Merck Foundation Chairman and CEO, where the African and Asian First Ladies shared the impact report of Merck Foundation programs in their respective countries, and future strategy was discussed.

Watch the video of MFFLI committee meeting:

“We have so far provided 2500 scholarships for doctors from 52 countries in 44 underserved medical specialties. We will continue to build and enhance healthcare capacity in the Maldives, African countries, and beyond", added Dr. Rasha Kelej.

Through their Community Awareness Programs, Merck Foundation is also closely working with The First Lady of Maldives to address a wide range of critical social issues like breaking infertility stigma, stopping gender-based violence and women empowerment, and important health issues including promoting the importance of healthy lifestyle, and diabetes and hypertension awareness.

Merck Foundation together with the First Lady Maldives will soon conduct their Health Media Training for Maldivian media representatives, to emphasize on the important role of media to address these critical social and health issues and be the voice of the voiceless.

Moreover, Merck Foundation also announced the Call for applications for their 8 important awards in partnership with The First Lady of Maldives for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.

Moreover, in partnership with The First Lady of Maldives, Merck Foundation is launching seven children's storybooks, “More Than a Mother”,“Educating Linda”,“Jackline's Rescue”,“Not Who You Are”,“Ride into the Future” and“Sugar free Jude”, and“Mark's Pressure”. The storybooks address various social and health issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, stopping GBV, diabetes and hypertension awareness.

The 7^th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative was streamed live on the social media handles of Merck Foundation and Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) CEO of Merck Foundation:

@ Merck Foundation: Facebook ( ), X ( ), Instagram ( ), and YouTube ( ).

@ Rasha Kelej: Facebook ( ), X ( ), Instagram ( ), and YouTube ( ).

Link to the YouTube live stream of Inaugural Session of Merck Foundation First Ladies High Level Panel:

Summarizing Merck Foundation's initiatives and impact:

Merck Foundation is transforming the Patient care landscape and making history together with their partners in Africa, Asia, and beyond, through:

. 2500+ Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for healthcare providers from 52 Countries in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.

Merck Foundation is also creating a culture shift and breaking the silence about a wide range of social and health issues in Africa and underserved communities through:

. 3700+ Media Representatives from more than 35 countries trained by Merck Foundation to better raise awareness about different social and health issues

. 8 Different Awards launched annually for best Media coverage, Song, Films, and Fashion.

. Around 30 songs to address health and social issues, by local singers across Africa in English, French, Portuguese, and local languages.

. 9 Children's Storybooks in four languages - English, French, Portuguese, and Swahili

. 6 Awareness Animation Films in five languages - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili to raise awareness about breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education and prevention and early detection of Diabetes, Hypertension&Cancer.

. Pan African TV Program "Our Africa by Merck Foundation” addressing Social and Health Issues in Africa through“Fashion and ART with Purpose” Community

. 1200+ Scholarships provided annually to high performing but under-privileged African schoolgirls from 18 countries, to help them to complete their studies and empower them to reach their full potential

15 Social Media Channels with more than 8.5 Million Followers
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.
Contact:
Mehak Handa
Community Awareness Program Manager
Phone: +91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669
Email: ...

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About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality&equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare&scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook ( ), X ( ), Instagram ( ), YouTube ( ), Threads ( ) and Flickr ( ).

The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors.

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