NAIROBI, Kenya: Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the 7th Edition of Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative – MFFLI Summit 2025 recently. It 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. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H., First Lady of the Republic of Kenya and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” along with First Ladies of Angola, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.) expressed, “I was a pleasure meeting my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H., First Lady of the Republic of Kenya and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother” for the 7th Edition of our Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative Summit. I am proud to share that provided 244 scholarships for local Kenyan doctors in many critical and underserved specialties like Fertility & Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, Endocrinology, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiology, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Gastroenterology, Respiratory Medicine, Acute Medicine, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Neonatal Medicine, Urology, Pain Management, Critical Care, Rheumatology and more. And around 50% of these scholarships are provided to female healthcare providers which is a great milestone of women empowerment.”
H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H., First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, and Ambassador of Merck Foundation “More Than a Mother emphasized, “I am very proud of our partnership with Merck Foundation. Together, we are strengthening and transforming our public healthcare landscape, through the 244 scholarships provided for our doctors. This is an extraordinary milestone that will leave a lasting impact on the quality and accessibility of healthcare across our nation.
Additionally, we are also working together to support girl education by providing annual scholarships to 47 best-performing but underprivileged girls, as a part of Educating Linda program. This is extremely important as Education is the way forward to empower our girls.”