PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, August 20, 2025: Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, met the Head of State, His Excellency Dharambeer Gokhool, during a high-level meeting to share the impact of their programs and underscore their long-term commitment to transform public healthcare in Mauritius.
Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation and President of “More Than a Mother” Campaign emphasized, “It was a great honor to meet H.E.Dharambeer GokhoolPresident of Mauritius and share with him the impact of our partnership and programs since 2017 that aim to transform patient care, build healthcare and media capacity, to empower women in STEM, support girl education and raise awareness about social and health issues in Mauritius and the rest of Africa.”
“I am proud to share that we have provided 100 scholarships for Mauritian doctors in 42 critical and underserved specialties. During our meeting, we also discussed the possibility of providing specialized training for local doctors in innovative and emerging fields such as Stem Cell Therapy in pathology, CAR T-cell treatment, AI in Radiology, Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology, Robotic Surgical Oncology, Neurology, Nephrology, Urology, and Neurosurgery.”
She further added, “We are strongly committed to working closely with the Ministry of Health to improve access to innovative and equitable healthcare solutions.”
The 100 scholarships for local Doctors have been provided for One-Year PG Diploma and Two-year Master’s Degrees in many critical specialties, including Fertility, Embryology, Sexual & Reproductive Care, Oncology, preventive cardiovascular, Dermatology, Neuroimaging for Research, Sexual & Reproductive Care, , Psychiatry, and Family Medicine, among others.
During her visit, the Merck Foundation CEO also held talks with the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Ms. Marie Arianne Navarre-Marie, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, and senior officials from the Office of Hon’ble Minister of Health, Mauritius.
Merck Foundation also conducted the fourth Edition of its Health Media Training for the Media Representatives in partnership with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mauritius. The training session was conducted with the aim to emphasize on the important role that media plays to influence society to create a cultural shift with the aim to address wide range of social and health issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Supporting Girl Education, Women Empowerment, Ending Child Marriage, Ending FGM, Stopping GBV, Diabetes and Hypertension awareness. It was co-chaired by the Merck Foundation CEO and the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mauritius.
During the training session, the Call for Application for 8 important Merck Foundation Awards was announced for Media, Musicians, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers, students, and new potential talents in these fields. The awards announced are:
1. Merck Foundation Africa Media Recognition Awards “More Than a Mother” 2025, in partnership with Media Trust Board, Mauritius: 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 2025
2. Merck Foundation Fashion Awards “More Than a Mother” 2025, in partnership with Academy of Design and Innovation, Mauritius: 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 2025
3. Merck Foundation Song Awards “More Than a Mother” 2025: All African Singers and Musical Artists are invited to create and share a SONG 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 2025
4. Merck Foundation Media Recognition Awards 2025 “Diabetes & Hypertension”, in partnership with Media Trust Board, Mauritius: 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 2025
The awards entries can be submitted to: submit@merck-foundation.com
