• The 11th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary was officially inaugurated by The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Dr. SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej.
   
• The First Ladies of Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of The Congo, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Maldives, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Zimbabwe and Zanzibar were the Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers for the 11th Edition of Merck Foundation’s Annual Conference.
   
• More than 10,000 healthcare providers, policymakers and media from over 70 English, French, Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries attended the Luminary through hybrid model to benefit from five parallel scientific and social sessions to  advance healthcare capacity and awareness in 44 critical and underserved medical specialties.
   
• Celebrating 7th Anniversary of Merck Foundation and marking 12-year journey of their development programs, during 2024 Luminary. 

Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, conducted the 11th Edition of their annual conference, “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary”, under the patronage of The President of Tanzania, and in partnership with the Government of Tanzania in Dar es Salaam. The conference was officially inaugurated by H.E. Dr. SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN, The President of the United Republic of Tanzania together with Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, along with First Ladies of 15 Countries, who joined as the Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers.

• H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi
• H.E. Dr. DÉBORA KATISA CARVALHO, The First Lady of the Republic of Cabo Verde
• H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic
• H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of The Congo
• H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, The First Lady of the Gabonese Republic
• H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of the Republic of The Gambia
• H.E. Mrs. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana
• H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO, The First Lady of the Republic of Kenya
• H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia
• H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of the Republic of Malawi
• H.E. Mrs. SAJIDHA MOHAMED, The First Lady of the Republic of Maldives
• H.E. Mrs. ISAURA FERRÃO NYUSI, The First Lady of the Republic of Mozambique
• H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe
• H.E Mrs. MARIAM MWINYI, The First Lady of Zanzibar
• H.E. Amai Dr. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe

Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “I am very proud to conduct Merck Foundation Africa First Ladies Initiatives –MFFLI, together with our Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers, the First Ladies of 15 African and Asian Countries, who are also the Ambassadors of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”. I extend a special welcome to the new members joining our platform. Together we discussed the impact of our programs and the 2025 strategy to build healthcare capacity and raise awareness on a wide range of sensitive and critical social issues like Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Ending Child Marriage & FGM, Stopping GBV, Women Empowerment, and important health issues like Diabetes and Hypertension Awareness.” Watch the speech of CEO of Merck Foundation during the inaugural program of their Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3DJHzMr

“I was delighted to hear from the First Ladies of Africa about their experiences and the impactful stories from their respective countries. Their achievements are an important part of celebrating our success,” Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees emphasized. Watch the speech of Chairman of Merck Foundation BOT during the inaugural program of their Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/4fAvVkj

The President of United Republic of Tanzania, H.E Dr. SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN emphasized “I am delighted to host this prestigious conference in Tanzania. It is a great honor to inaugurate the conference alongside the First Ladies of Africa and Asia. I deeply appreciate the programs of Merck Foundation that are building healthcare capacity, breaking infertility stigma, and supporting girl education.” Watch the speech of The President of United Republic of Tanzania during the inaugural program of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3VWS1GC

Merck Foundation has provided more than 2080 scholarships to young doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties.

“Merck Foundation's partnership with the First Ladies has been crucial in achieving this milestone of transforming the patient care landscape and leading Africa and Asia toward a better, healthier, and stronger future,” Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized.

During the Inauguration Session of the Luminary, the First Ladies delivered their keynote speeches to share the impact of their partnership journey with Merck Foundation.

H.E. Madam ANGELINE NDAYISHIMIYE, The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi expressed, “I am very happy with the remarkable achievements we have accomplished together through our enduring partnership with the Merck Foundation. They have been on the forefront to provide training to our local doctors and have provided 55 scholarships to our young Burundian doctors in many critical and underserved specialties. I am pleased to share that one of the graduates of the Merck Foundation Diabetes Master course has established Burundi's First Diabetes center that I visited myself. Moreover, last year, we inaugurated Burundi's first public IVF center, and Merck Foundation provided training for our Fertility Specialists, Embryologists, and Technicians, making them Burundi's first local experts in fertility care. These are great achievements and tangible outcomes of our partnership. Moreover, we have also provided scholarships to 40 talented underprivileged girls, enabling them to continue their education until they graduate. This is a very important initiative to empower our girls through education.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Burundi during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3VR7Dvh

H.E. Dr. DÉBORA KATISA CARVALHO, The First Lady of the Republic of Cabo Verde shared, “I take great pride in my role as the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” campaign to empower infertile women through access to information, education, change of mindset. I am committed to supporting girls’ education as I believe it is a fundamental pillar for women's empowerment. Hence, as a part of “Educating Linda” program, we have sponsored the education of 40 top-performing girls in secondary school until they graduate. Our partnership that started in 2023 has been remarkable so far, however, I look forward to achieving even more in the coming years.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Cabo Verde during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/41V4ZIT

H.E. Madam BRIGITTE TOUADERA, The First Lady of Central African Republic expressed, “I deeply value our partnership with Merck Foundation that began in 2015. It has been a journey of shared vision and commitment towards advancing healthcare capacity, breaking infertility stigma, empowering infertile and childless women, and supporting girl education. We started with Merck Foundation More than a Mother’s important project “Empowering Berna”, where we established small businesses for infertile women and trained them to run their businesses so they can have income, become independent and have a purposeful life. It was the first time that we thought about infertile women in our country. Also, through Education Linda program, we are providing scholarships to 40 underprivileged schoolgirls to their education till they graduate. Moreover, we have provided several scholarships to our doctors for Oncology and Diabetes.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of the Central African Republic during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/41R1vr1

H.E. Madam DENISE NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI, The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of The Congo stated, “I deeply appreciate Merck Foundation’s commitment to advancing healthcare capacity to enhance access to quality and equitable healthcare for our nation's people. Together we have provided 95 scholarships to our young local doctors in the fields of Fertility, Diabetes and Oncology. Additionally, we are sponsoring the education of 40 underprivileged but best performing girls, enabling them to continue their education till they graduate as a part of Educating Linda Program. I regard this highly as educated girls contribute to a skilled workforce that drives the country’s economic growth.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of The Congo during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/4gVQl8J

H.E. Madam ZITA OLIGUI NGUEMA, The First Lady of the Gabonese Republic stated, “I am very honored to be a part of this prestigious platform. Merck Foundation CEO gave me a detailed summary of their programs to build healthcare capacity, empower girls in education, and break the infertility stigma. At present, Merck Foundation has provided three scholarships to our doctors for Oncology and Diabetes Care. I am excited to scale up this program and initiate all other programs in my country very soon.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of the Gabonese Republic during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/4gPWgfm

H.E. Mrs. FATOUMATTA BAH-BARROW, The First Lady of the Republic of The Gambia expressed, “My partnership with Merck Foundation started in 2017, and we have achieved significant milestones together. We have provided 84 scholarships to young Gambian doctors in many critical and underserved specialties. This is a significant number given our country’s small size, population, and limited number of healthcare providers. We are also working on various initiatives to raise awareness about critical social and health issues. Together we are also supporting the education of 40 Gambian schoolgirls until they graduate. I believe that education is a fundamental right for every girl, hence, I value and appreciate the Educating Linda program.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of The Gambia during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/41SIdl8

H.E. Mrs. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO, The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana stated, “I am very proud to share that Merck Foundation has provided 189 scholarships in medical specialties, which are all very critical to us, for our local doctors who will be the future healthcare experts of our country. This is a significant achievement for us, and we take great pride in it. As the Ambassador of More Than a Mother, I truly support and appreciate this historic campaign that aims to empower infertile and childless women through access to information, education, change of mindset and raise awareness about various social and health issues. I am also happy to share that through Merck Foundation Awards, we have celebrated more than 100 winners till now and hope to continue celebrating many more winners. Moreover, we are supporting the education of 20 deserving Ghanaian schoolgirls to cover their educational expense until they graduate.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of Ghana during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3VR7JTF

H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO, The First Lady of the Republic of Kenya shared, “As a new member of this platform, I am very impressed with all the achievements and programs to build healthcare capacity, break the infertility stigma and raise awareness on sensitive social and health issues. Until today, Merck Foundation has provided 210 scholarships to our local Kenyan doctors in 40 underserved medical specialties like Oncology, Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiology and Endocrinology, Fertility, Embryology, Dermatology, Neonatal Medicine and more. I sincerely thank and appreciate Merck Foundation, and look forward to creating a lasting, positive change together across our beautiful continent.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of Kenya during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/4gUOdOy

H.E. Mrs. KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia emphasized, “As a new member of this distinguished platform, I look forward to working closely with Merck Foundation and I am very proud to be appointed as the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother” campaign, to empower infertile women through access to information, education, change of mindset, and support Girl Education. Till today, 47 scholarships have been provided to our doctors from different provinces across Liberia in specialties like Fertility, Embryology, Sexual and Reproductive Care, Oncology, Diabetes and more. I am also pleased to share that our Minister of Health is one of Merck Foundation Alumni therefore, we are confident of the success of these programs to realize the best impact in transforming our patient care landscape in Liberia. I am also pleased to share about "Educating Linda" program, through which we are providing scholarships to 20 deserving but underprivileged schoolgirls until they graduate.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of Liberia during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/41Rl9TD

H.E. Mrs. MONICA CHAKWERA, The First Lady of the Republic of Malawi expressed,     “Our journey with Merck Foundation began in 2020, and I am proud to say that our partnership has continued to grow stronger each year. Together, we have embarked on several initiatives aimed at transforming the lives of people in Malawi and beyond. As part of Merck Foundation Educating Linda program, we have sponsored the education of 60 best-performing girls in their secondary schools till they graduate. I am very happy with this program as it’s a big milestone for our young Malawian girls. Moreover, we have provided more than 48 scholarships of one year diploma and two-year master degree to young Malawian doctors in critical medical specialties.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of Malawi during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/41LRueB

H.E. Mrs. SAJIDHA MOHAMED, The First Lady of the Republic of Maldives stated, “I am thoroughly impressed with the efficient and impactful programs of Merck Foundation. Hearing from my fellow First Ladies about the milestones they have achieved in their respective countries, in partnership with the Merck Foundation, is truly inspiring. It only motivates me to initiate these programs in my own country very soon. We have already shared a list of doctors with the Merck Foundation CEO, and we will soon be enrolling our doctors in the fertility training programs, as a starting point. We also plan to enrol our doctors in other specialties, further underscoring our partnership with the Merck Foundation to enhance healthcare capacity in the Maldives.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of Maldives during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3BB5RI7

H.E. Mrs. ISAURA FERRÃO NYUSI, The First Lady of the Republic of Mozambique shared, “I am proud to share that through our partnership with Merck Foundation, we are strengthening healthcare capacity in my country. We have so far provided 16 scholarships to our Mozambican medical graduates, of which 14 scholarships have been provided for the Diabetes Master course, especially developed in the Portuguese language. These scholarships are very critical for us since in Mozambique as per the available data, there are more than 86% cases of undiagnosed diabetes. Moreover, as a part of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother campaign, we organized Online Health Media Training for our journalists to emphasize on the important role that media plays to influence our society to raise awareness on a wide range of social and health issues. The training session benefitted many of our journalists.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of Republic of Mozambique during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3VWS1X8

H.E. Mrs. MARIA DE FATIMA VILA NOVA, The First Lady of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe shared, “I am excited to share that we have initiated Merck Foundation scholarship program in my country, by successfully providing several scholarships for our local experts in Oncology and Diabetes Care. Moreover, we have started implementing the community awareness programs, that are crucial for breaking the stigma surrounding infertility and tackling other critical social and health issues, such as supporting girls' education, ending child marriage and FGM, combating gender-based violence, and raising awareness about diabetes and hypertension. We will continue scaling up these programs.” Watch the speech of The First Lady of São Tomé and Príncipe during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3WkFHR5

H.E. Amai Dr. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe expressed, “We have a long-standing partnership with Merck Foundation since 2019, and we have been able to provide 122 scholarships to young Zimbabwean doctors in many critical and underserved specialties including Fertility & Embryology, Oncology, Diabetes, Preventive Cardiovascular, Endocrinology, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Respiratory Medicine, Acute Medicine, and Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Neonatal Care, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Emergency Pediatric, Orthopedic Trauma and more. This is for the first time in Zimbabwe that we work on such an impactful program, it is history in the making. Additionally, through ‘Educating Linda’ program to support girl education, we have provided scholarships to 40 schoolgirls to complete their education by covering their tuition fees, till they graduate.” Watch the video of The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3VXk495

H.E. Mrs. MARIAM MWINYI, The First Lady of Zanzibar shared, “It was a pleasure to host Merck Foundation Chairman, CEO and First Ladies to our country. Hearing from my fellow First Ladies about the success of the Merck Foundation programs in their countries left me excited to start this partnership in Zanzibar as well. These remarkable achievements reinforce Merck Foundation’s commitment to advancing patient care landscape and empowering women and girls’ education across our continent.” Watch the video of The First Lady of the Republic of Zanzibar during the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 here: https://apo-opa.co/3BOYQU3

The 11^th Edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary 2024 was streamed live on the social media handles of Merck Foundation and Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation:

@ Merck Foundation: Facebook (http://apo-opa.co/41QZxXl), X (http://apo-opa.co/4gTocPy), Instagram (http://apo-opa.co/3BBHMkp), and YouTube (http://apo-opa.co/4gJhMT0).

@ Rasha Kelej: Facebook (http://apo-opa.co/41MVNGz), X (http://apo-opa.co/4gUQuJx), Instagram (http://apo-opa.co/41RlbuJ), and YouTube (http://apo-opa.co/41QWsXy).

Link to the Facebook live stream of Inaugural Session of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary: https://apo-opa.co/4fA4kjl

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

• 2080+ Scholarships provided by Merck Foundation for doctors 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:

• 3500+ Media Persons from more than 35 countries trained to better raise awareness about different social and health issues

• 8 Different Awards launched annually for best media coverage, fashion designers, films, and songs,

• Around 30 songs to address health and social issues, by local singers across Africa

• 8 Children’s Storybooks in three languages - English, French, and Portuguese

• 7 Awareness Animation films in five languages - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili to raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes & Hypertension and supporting girl education.

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

• 700+ Girls from 15 African countries supported through scholarships or school items, annually.

• 15 Social Media Channels with more than 6 Million Followers.