PHOTO: First Lady Clar M. Weah expressing gratitude to Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation for the invaluable support to Liberia.
(Monrovia- November 28, 2022) First Lady Clar Marie Weah remains unbending in her commitment to leading and supporting initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of the underprivileged including women, girls, and children of Liberia, a statement from her office says.
Eagerly wanting to do more despite her numerous impactful and life-transformative interventions including the ongoing construction of City of Hope, She’s You Personal and Menstrual Hygiene Initiative, the Back to School Program, Feeding of the Elderly, and the rehabilitation and support to orphanages, Mrs. Weah is poised to build a modern health facility.
The construction of a hospital that would specialize in exclusively addressing the health needs of women and children, while combatting conditions like maternal and neonatal mortality, infertility, and HIV/AIDS mother-to-child transmission among others, has long been a burning desire of the First Lady and she has since been advocating for it.
Speaking recently during the 9th edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary Conference and 5th Anniversary in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Mrs. Weah craved the philanthropic organization’s support to boost women and children’s health in Liberia through the provision of a specialized hospital.
Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej accepts First Lady Weah’s invited to visit Liberia, in order to have a first hand appreciation of the impact of Merck’s support
“We seek your prayers and support for the construction of a State-of-the-Art Health Facility that would provide Maternal and Infant care to a nation whose health system was literally destroyed during the years of civil war,” Mrs. Weah asserted.
“Such a facility is urgently needed and we need your response in the affirmative,” she added, pleading with the Merck Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Rasha Kelej.
Also embedded in the Liberian First Lady‘s plea, was an invitation, expressing her warmest desire for Dr. Rasha Kelej to visit Liberia and have a first-hand appreciation of Liberia’s development and the impact of Merck Foundation’s support.
A day later, the request received an immediate affirmative response during a tete-a-tete between the Liberian First Lady and Merck Foundation CEO in which Dr. Kelej accepted the invitation.
During that meeting, the two prominent ladies praised their partnership, reflected on their common passion for girls and women, and discussed new avenues to improve the lives of girls and women in Liberia and across Africa.
“What we as First Ladies through the Merck Foundation do in our respective countries for our people are the things that continue to make a difference and I am proud to be an active part of this great movement.