During life, some influential personalities achieve golden goals, mediate our hearts, and seize our gaze, to teach us lessons that we would not have learned even after a hundred years.
In this world, she defied all odds and focused her attention on goals that many see as difficult to achieve, shattering a lot of obstacles, and proving that a dream can come true, even in the worst conditions .
Through determination, she became a source of inspiration and she scooped this year the title of the most influential and inspiring lady in the field of social work among the 100 personalities of the African continent for the year 2019.
This influential lady is Rasha Kelej.
She was awarded her by English magazine "New African" being published in London; it also featured Egyptian international stars- Mohamed Salah and Ramy Malik, the Oscar winner.
Kelej became the talk of most African countries and press after she became the first Egyptian and African woman to assume the position of CEO for one of the largest charitable and developmental institutions in Europe- Merck International Charitable Foundation in 2016. She succeeded in inspiring many people.
SeeNews conducted an interview with Kelej; here is the excerpt of the interview.
* How did your story began?
My life started as a regular girl; I graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Alexandria, then my practical journey began working in various Gulf countries for a period of more than 24 years, during which I obtained a master’s degree in business administration from Robert Gordon University in Scotland.
Then I found myself facing a road that I did not know; through this unknown road, I achieved the dream and goal of my life, which I realized that I was created for.
Suddenly, I turned from a woman working successfully in the field of medicine industry science inside the laboratories to a woman to the position of CEO of the Merck International Charity Foundation, one of the largest and most important charitable institutions in Europe.
I was the 1st Egyptian African woman to assume this position. I shouldered many responsibilities that require travel and wandering in the poorest countries in the world and put developmental solutions to many problems and obstacles.
I naturally have a “phobia” of flying and I also fear diseases, but something inside me motivated me to accept this work. I toured more than 26 African countries.
*What are your campaign goals?
Millions of husbands in Africa suffer from various forms of infertility problems. In Africa, women bear the sole responsibility for this infertility and face fierce psychological and societal warfare, which in some African countries leads to cutting their sides and deforming their face, or in some other countries, a woman who does not give birth turns into a servant to another wife.
But she can also be exposed to expulsion and becomes an outcast from her family and community to live like beggars.. Then I devised an idea to launch a campaign entitled "More than just a mother"; it is the first of its kind in Africa and the world. We started this campaign in Africa.
Meanwhile, the campaign supports governments in identifying and changing policies to promote access to safe, effective fertility care and to break the stigmatization around infertile women and raise awareness about infertility prevention and the management of infertility for men.
The campaign is done in conjunction with early African women, ministries of health and information, education, academia, policymakers, international associations for fertility, media and art.
The campaign provided training for fertility specialists and embryologists to build and develop fertility care capabilities in Africa and developing countries.
* Wives of presidents in Africa became ambassadors of the campaign "More Than Just a Mother" in Africa ... How did you succeed in that?
In the beginning, I worked hard to spread the campaign within those African countries, and won the media appreciation for the real solutions I touched on a chronic problem throughout the ages that no one approached.
I began training health media and training courses for them and we started presenting tragic stories for African women who faced humiliation, isolation, oppression and torture because they are just infertile.
Those stories had a profound effect at the beginning of the change and drew attention to one of the important issues, which made the 1st women turn to a campaign more than just a mother and join in and even agree to become ambassadors to her in their countries, which has had great impact and success.
*Most African countries were following the story of Kenyan lady, "Jackline Mwende". How can you help her and transform her story to a movie?
During my trip in Africa, I discovered a horrific case for a Kenyan woman, her husband cut her limbs because of infertility, he did so in order not to think of leaving him or marrying another man to have children. The Kenyan lady was "Jackline Mwende"; we immediately offered help to her to overcome the effects of this the ordeal and help her obtain two prostheses for use in her normal life.
In addition, we built a store and found a home for her in her city so that she can earn her living and reside with her child whom she gave birth to her from another husband after her condition improved. Africa is full of many stories like Jacqueline.
*Using art and literature as a means of communicating the messages of your awareness campaigns in Africa, did you succeed in that?
Changing the mindsets of any society requires the use of educational methods. One of the most important of these means is art and literature.
That is why I worked on offering songs in local African languages and in cooperation with local African artists. It was a pleasure for the initiative of the first lady of Burundi and for her singing and filming one of those songs for the campaign “More than just a mother”.
One of the most beautiful surprises for me was the President of the Republic of Liberia and former world soccer star George Weah; he recorded a song with a special voice for the campaign urging African societies to confront violence against women ho don’t give birth in Africa.
*Are there other initiatives you are working on in Africa?
Indeed, we have been working for years to provide scholarships to graduate the first specialist cancerous tumors in African countries that did not have any specialist tumors in advance. Every doctor who benefitted from this initiative, when he returns to his country, will be able to treat more than 1200 cancer patients per month.
This is a great achievement; I made sure that Egypt become a center for training doctors in Africa through partnership with the National Cancer Institute of the University of Cairo and the Ministry of Higher Education. I am working to improve the possibility of treating an African patient and expanding the African medical training program to include more African countries.
Also, we plan to train 20 doctors from the African continent Annually at the National Cancer Institute in partnership with ministries of health, offices of first ladies and institutions in each country.
*How do you see President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi efforts in Africa?
President El-Sisi succeeded during the past years in rebuilding bridges of trust with the African continent after years of departure as Africa set its sights on its historical importance and its belief in Cairo’s pride, especially in its affiliation with the African continent.
His presidency was successful with Egypt became more influential in African. Cairo has now become the voice of Africa in various international forums and I watch many African countries trying to follow in the footsteps of the success of the Egyptian experiment and transfer its successful economic and development experience. Egypt's experience is the closest to the African nature in comparison with Asian or Western experiences.
*Finally, would you agree to act as a goodwill ambassador for Egypt in Africa?
Of course, that would be a great honor for me and I am willing to volunteer for any business that serves my country at any time without charge.
Contributed by Amr Galal
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