Merck Foundation Deepens Partnership with Senegal First Lady on Education and Healthcare
Merck Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening girls’ education, healthcare capacity and media development in Senegal, as its Chief Executive Officer, Rasha Kelej, highlighted continued collaboration with the First Lady of Senegal, Marie Khone Faye.
The commitment was highlighted during the 12th edition of the annual Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary conference, held in partnership with the Government of The Gambia. The high-level meeting brought together African First Ladies, ministers and key stakeholders to review progress and outline future strategies in healthcare, education and social development.
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Dr Kelej said discussions with the Senegalese First Lady focused on transforming the country’s public healthcare system and addressing pressing social and health challenges. She revealed that Merck Foundation has so far provided 29 scholarships to Senegalese doctors in critical specialties, including oncology, diabetes, fertility and embryology, with plans to scale up the programme.
First Lady Marie Khone Faye welcomed the partnership, noting its tangible impact on both healthcare delivery and education. She highlighted the launch of the Educating Linda programme in Senegal, which provides annual scholarships to 40 high-performing but underprivileged schoolgirls, aimed at keeping girls in school and expanding future opportunities.
Beyond healthcare training, Merck Foundation and the Office of the First Lady of Senegal have rolled out community awareness initiatives addressing issues such as gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, women’s empowerment, diabetes and hypertension. Journalists have also benefited from specialised health media training designed to amplify voices on sensitive social and health issues.
The Foundation further announced its 2026 call for applications for eight awards targeting media professionals, musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers and students, alongside the launch of a series of children’s storybooks in French to promote health awareness, girl education and social inclusion.
Since 2012, Merck Foundation has provided more than 2,500 scholarships to healthcare providers from 52 countries across 44 underserved medical specialties, while training over 3,700 journalists and supporting creative advocacy through music, film and storytelling. The Foundation says these efforts remain central to its mission of building sustainable healthcare systems and driving social change across Africa and beyond.
