Liberia FL, H.E. Mrs KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI Speech @ 11th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, 2024

Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, B.Sc Pharma, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Merck Foundation. My views are personal.
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“I'm honored to share the impactful Keynote speech video of H.E. Mrs KARTUMU YARTA BOAKAI, The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother delivered during the inauguration of the 11th Edition of the annual conference, 'Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary'. This event, held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania, and in partnership with the Government of Tanzania, took place on the 29th and 30th of October in Dar es Salaam.

In her speech, she happily expressed, ‘I am thrilled to join you today for the first time as a member of this esteemed platform, the Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI), and to be the Guest of Honour at the 11th Edition of the Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary, which is under the patronage of Her Excellency, the President of Tanzania.

Excellencies, I would like to congratulate you on the remarkable achievements and impact of your joint programs with Merck Foundation over the past seven years. Listening to your experiences has been truly inspiring, and it encourages both me and my team to scale up these programs in Liberia to benefit our nation as well.

I really believe all of these programs are incredibly beneficial and address the needs of my country and the rest of Africa.

Till today, 47 scholarships have been provided to our doctors from different provinces across Liberia. As I mentioned many times earlier, we will work closely with Merck Foundation. And in collaboration with our Minister of Health we will continue to enrol more doctors for the 44 critical and underserved specialties, with the aim to establish a strong platform of skilled, well trained healthcare experts in the public sector in my country.

I am also pleased to share about "Educating Linda" program, through which Merck Foundation is providing scholarships to 20 deserving but underprivileged schoolgirls till they graduate. Through this program, we are giving them the opportunity to thrive, pursue their dreams, and contribute to the future of our nation.

Ladies and gentlemen, we will continue our commitment to working together to further expand these programs nationwide and transform lives across Liberia and the rest of Africa."

Stay tuned for more inspiring updates!

Dr. Rasha Kelej
CEO of Merck Foundation
Chairperson of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary