Dubai: Merck Foundation Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and 14 First Ladies inaugurated the 7th Edition of the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit in Dubai. The event, held on June 19th and 20th, 2025, was led by Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, and Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation. The First Ladies from 14 African and Asian countries participated as Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers.
According to African Press Organization, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej expressed her honor in welcoming the First Ladies and Ambassadors of the “More Than a Mother” campaign to the summit. She highlighted the platform’s role in exchanging experiences and discussing the impact of programs aimed at transforming patient care and raising awareness of critical social and health issues.
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp emphasized Merck Foundation’s commitment to improving healthcare capacity and providing access to quality and equitable healthcare solutions in Africa, Asia, and beyond. He thanked the Ambassadors and partners for their support in working towards a vision of global health and happiness.
The First Ladies, acting as Ambassadors of the More Than a Mother initiative, included representatives from Angola, Cabo Verde, the Central African Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, the Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. They played significant roles as Guests of Honor and Keynote Speakers, contributing to the summit’s discussions and initiatives.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej announced that Merck Foundation has provided over 2,500 scholarships for young doctors from 52 countries in 44 critical and underserved specialties. The foundation’s efforts have resulted in many alumni becoming the first specialists in their respective countries. She also highlighted the marking of World Infertility Awareness Month through the “More Than a Mother” campaign, which aims to empower infertile and childless women.
The summit also celebrated two significant milestones: the 8th Anniversary of Merck Foundation and 13 years of development programs initiated in 2012. The event featured a plenary session and high-level panel discussions with First Ladies and healthcare experts, addressing various health and social challenges.
Day 2 of the conference included three key parallel sessions on Oncology and Fertility, and a community awareness session, the Merck Foundation Health Media Training. This session focused on the media’s role in influencing communities and driving change on issues such as infertility stigma, girls’ education, gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, women’s empowerment, diabetes, and hypertension awareness.
The summit was conducted in a hybrid format, allowing over 6,000 participants from more than 70 countries to engage safely and effectively. The event was streamed live on Merck Foundation and Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej’s social media channels.
Merck Foundation’s initiatives extend beyond the summit, offering 2,500+ scholarships for medical professionals, training 3,700+ media persons, and launching awards and programs to address social and health issues. The foundation also supports local creatives in producing music, storybooks, and films to promote awareness and education.