Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, launched their Educating Linda Program to support girl education at Kenya State House, in partnership with H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H, The First Lady of the Republic of Kenya and Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”. During the visit, the Merck Foundation Kenya Alumni Summit 2026 was also conducted to highlight the impact of their scholarships program with the aim to build healthcare capacity and transform patient care landscape across Kenya nationwide.
The program was attended by The First Lady of the Republic of Kenya H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H, Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, and CEO of Merck Foundation and President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign, Dr. Rasha Kelej and Kenya Minister of Health, Hon. Aden Duale.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation and President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign emphasized, “It is a great pleasure to meet my dear sister, H.E. Mrs. RACHEL RUTO E.G.H. First Lady of the Republic of Kenya and to recognize her for her tremendous efforts as the Ambassador of “Merck Foundation More Than a Mother”.
I am proud that through our long-term partnership we have provided 328 scholarships for young Kenyan healthcare providers in 44 critical and underserved specialties. I am also happy to share that nearly 50% of these scholarships have been awarded to women healthcare providers, reinforcing our commitment to women empowerment.
It was also great meeting Kenya Minister of Health, Hon. Aden Duale and our Alumni, who are the future healthcare experts of Kenya.”
“We are looking forward to extending our scholarship program to more healthcare providers in partnership with First Lady of Kenya and in collaboration with Medical Societies and Ministry of Health when possible.” She added.
H.E. Mrs. Rachel Ruto E.G.H., The First Lady of the Republic of Kenya expressed,
“Through our impactful partnership with Merck Foundation, we are not just implementing programs, we are transforming lives. Together, we are strengthening our healthcare capacity, empowering girls through education, breaking infertility stigma, and addressing other critical social and health challenges across Kenya. We are immensely proud that, through our strong partnership, we have been able to provide 328 scholarships for our healthcare providers, not only in the capital city, but across the country. It represents a powerful investment in the future of our healthcare system, a commitment to building expertise where it is needed most, and a significant step towards ensuring equitable access to quality care for all our people.
At the same time, we are equally proud to support the education of 47 high-performing yet underprivileged Kenyan schoolgirls, providing them with annual scholarships till they graduate. By empowering these young girls through education, we are not only transforming individual lives, but also shaping stronger families, communities, and a brighter future for our nation.”
Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees added, “Our aim is to improve the overall health and wellbeing of people by building healthcare capacity in Kenya and across developing countries. We are strongly committed to transforming patient care through our scholarships program.”
Hon. Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health, Kenya shared, “We sincerely appreciate the Merck Foundation Scholarships Program through which 328 scholarships have been provided till today for our local healthcare providers in many critical underserved specialties, helping us to build and strengthen our healthcare capacity, across the country.”
One of the important specialties that Merck Foundation is focusing on in 2025 and 2026 in Kenya is the scholarship of One Year Diploma in Nutrition, to support the program of Feeding and Food Security of Kenya First Lady.
More than 90 scholarships are dedicated to this specialty across the 47 provinces of Kenya. This will create a culture shift in leading a healthy lifestyle for the whole population which will contribute to healthier communities and hence social and economic development of the whole country nationwide.
The program was also attended by the Kenyan winners of Merck Foundation Media Awards 2024 and 2025.
“It was a pleasure meeting and celebrating our Winners, the health and social champions, who are the voice of the voiceless”, added Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Out of the total 328 scholarships, Merck Foundation has provided:
- 121 scholarships for one-year postgraduate diplomas and two-year master’s degrees in Diabetes, Preventative Cardiovascular Medicine, Cardiology, and Endocrinology. These programs enable doctors to establish specialized diabetes clinics across the country.
- 10 scholarships for Oncology, which is a critical specialty to strengthen cancer care capacity.
- 49 scholarships for Fertility, Embryology, and Reproductive Medicine under the “More Than a Mother” campaign, bringing hope and support to couples facing infertility challenges.
- 148 scholarships for other important specialties such as Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, and many more, contributing significantly to strengthening Kenya’s healthcare system.
Merck Foundation has overall provided more than 2,600 scholarships for healthcare providers in 44 critical and undeserved specialties from over 52 countries.
During the Summit, Merck Foundation alumni shared inspiring testimonies on how these scholarships have transformed their professional journeys and improved patient care in their communities.
Merck Foundation, in partnership with the First Lady of Kenya, is also launching children’s storybooks — “More Than a Mother”, “Educating Linda”, “Jackline’s Rescue”, “Not Who You Are”, “Ride into the Future”, “Sugar Free Jude” and “Mark’s Pressure” in English and Swahili to raise awareness about critical social and health issues among young children. Thousands of copies will be distributed across schools in Kenya. These storybooks have also been adapted into animated films to further enhance their impact.
Moreover, Merck Foundation has conducted 4 Editions of their Online Health Media Training for Kenyan journalists to empower them to raise awareness about sensitive social and health issues such as breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, ending child marriage and GBV, and promoting healthy lifestyle practices.
Merck Foundation, together with the First Lady of Kenya, also organizes annual awards for media, musicians, filmmakers, and fashion designers to encourage creative talents to raise awareness about important social issues.
Merck Foundation in partnership with the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya has also announced the Call for Application for their 8 important annual Awards for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields.
Details of the Awards:
1. Merck Foundation Africa Media Recognition Awards “More Than a Mother” 2026: Media representatives and media students are invited to showcase their work to raise awareness about one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th September 2026.
2. Merck Foundation Film Awards “More Than a Mother” 2026: All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions, or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary, or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to address one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th September 2026.
3. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards “More Than a Mother” 2026: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to raise awareness about one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th September 2026.
4. Merck Foundation Song Awards “More Than a Mother” 2026: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to address one or more of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, and/ or Stopping GBV at all levels.
Submission deadline: 30th September 2026.
5. Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards 2026 “Diabetes&Hypertension”: Media representatives are invited to showcase their work through strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2026.
6. Merck Foundation Film Awards 2026 “Diabetes&Hypertension”: All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions, or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary, or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2026.
7. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards 2026 “Diabetes&Hypertension”: All African Fashion Students and Designers are invited to create and share designs to deliver strong and influential messages to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2026.
8. Merck Foundation Song Awards 2026 “Diabetes&Hypertension”: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG with the aim to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about the prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Submission deadline: 30th October 2026.
Apply here: https://apo-opa.co/42J0z75
Entries for all the awards are to be submitted via email to:
[email protected]
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.
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About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality&equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare&scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (http://apo-opa.co/42ddmOZ), X (http://apo-opa.co/42LImG0), Instagram (http://apo-opa.co/4dnSE5a), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/42domMg), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/3P0q808) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/3QYuYM3).
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