Dr Rasha Kelej, Chief Executive Officer of Merck Foundation, met H.E. Mrs Maria de Fatima Vila Nova, First Lady of São Tomé and Principe, and six other African First Ladies during the 12th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary held in partnership with the Government of The Gambia. The conference, co-chaired by The Gambia’s First Lady, H.E. Mrs Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, and Dr Kelej, focused on strengthening healthcare capacity, public awareness and educational opportunity across the continent.
Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary advances health and education
At the event, Dr Kelej confirmed expansion of Merck Foundation scholarship programmes, noting that the foundation has awarded more than 2,500 scholarships to healthcare providers from 52 countries across 44 underserved specialties since 2012. She said enrolment for specialist training in oncology and diabetes care has already begun for doctors from São Tomé and Principe and other partner countries.
The First Lady of São Tomé and Principe emphasised the importance of local outreach. Her office has introduced the “Educating Linda and Lindo” scheme, which offers annual scholarships to 40 high‑performing but underprivileged schoolgirls and boys until graduation. She also announced plans to broadcast Merck Foundation’s animation films in Portuguese on national television to increase public understanding of health and social issues, including diabetes, hypertension and infertility stigma.
The two‑day Luminary featured keynote addresses from First Ladies across Africa and a high‑level ministerial panel that discussed the Merck Foundation African Research Summit (MARS) strategy to build scientific research capacity and encourage women in STEM. On the second day, the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) committee met with the foundation’s leadership to review impact reports and define country‑level priorities for the coming year.
Media engagement was a prominent theme. Merck Foundation and the office of the First Lady of São Tomé and Principe have delivered two editions of online health media training to strengthen reporting on social and medical issues. The foundation also announced a call for applications for eight awards, covering media, music, fashion design, filmmaking and emerging students, delivered in partnership with the First Lady’s office.
Alongside training and awards, Merck Foundation launched a collection of children’s storybooks in Portuguese addressing social and health topics. Titles such as “More Than a Mother”, “Educating Linda” and “Sugar Free Jude” aim to support messages on girl education, stopping gender‑based violence and raising awareness of chronic disease among younger audiences. The foundation has also produced six animation films in five languages and a pan‑African television programme, “Our Africa by Merck Foundation”.
Officials highlighted measurable outcomes: more than 3,700 media representatives trained across 35 countries, around 30 locally produced songs addressing health themes, and annual scholarships for over 1,200 underprivileged but high‑performing African schoolchildren. The Luminary was streamed live on Merck Foundation’s social channels, allowing wider public access to the discussions and commitments.
By aligning capacity building, mass communication and targeted scholarship programmes, Merck Foundation and its First Ladies Initiative aim to strengthen health systems and social awareness across partner countries, including São Tomé and Principe. The partnership underlines a cooperative model that links philanthropy, government offices and media to advance public health and education.
Key Takeaways:
- Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary brought together First Ladies from São Tomé and Principe, Gambia and six other African nations to advance healthcare and education.
- Dr Rasha Kelej announced continued scholarships for oncology and diabetes training and highlighted 2,500 scholarships provided to date.
- São Tomé and Principe will air Merck Foundation animation films in Portuguese and expand the “Educating Linda and Lindo” scholarship programme for underprivileged children.
- High-level panels and the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative discussed research capacity, media training and future country-level strategies.
