Kentaro Charity

UNITED AGAINST MALARIA 

Kentaro has joined forces with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the far-reaching “United Against Malaria” campaign. Malaria is the single largest killer of children in Africa, one of the continent’s greatest impediments to economic growth and, tragically, it is entirely preventable.

The partners of United Against Malaria aim to use football fever to build long-term political and financial support for the fight against malaria and to achieve the international goal of universal access to treatment and prevention tools, as a stepping stone towards ending preventable deaths from the disease by 2015. Achieving the 2010 target has the potential to save more than four million lives by 2015. To sustain this critical effort, a private-public partnership of leading global health, sports, communication and policy organizations have joined forces to create United Against Malaria to leverage football as a platform for malaria awareness, utilisation, and political will in the run-up to the first World Cup in Africa in 2010.

Kentaro has joined the winning team that will end malaria, and is committed to:

· Using its vast marketing footprint through football matches and events to promote the issue of malaria

· Encouraging football teams and stars to use their good names and power to help end malaria in Africa

· Offering its wide network of football relationships to greatly amplify the message that our generation can make malaria history.

See also: Letter of thanks from Roll Back Malaria Partnership after the Tanzania vs. Brazil friendly game in Dar es Salaam in June 2010.

ARGENTINA

The nursery Los Enanitos de la Esperanza is a charity project based on a shared dream between the parish and members of the community of El Bolson, Argentina. Founded by priest José Luis Gennaro, Romina Jinkis and Verónica Aguerrea in 2001, the aim was to improve the quality of life of the children in La Esperanza, one of the poorest neighbourhoods. Los Enanitos de la Esperanza has been recognised as a public school under private management and currently looks after 90 children under the age of five years.

Kentaro has helped to improve the nursery´s infrastructure, backing crucial reforms such as the construction of new classrooms and an external playground. The nursery has been equipped with vital teaching materials for the stimulation and integral development of the children. At the same time, a new and fundamental activity has been designed - workshops for parents informing about domestic violence, reproduction and hygiene. At this very instant, four new classrooms are being built which will ultimately double the number of children over the next couple of years.

ANIMAL WELFARE

Kentaro also supports the White Lion Project of the Safaripark Schloß-Holte Stukenbrock. Due to their rare colour, white lions are an endangered species. The worldwide population was down to 20 when the Safaripark started their project back in 1996. In the last couple of years, the number has quadrupled thanks to the tireless efforts of the Safaripark. Kentaro has adopted six white lions. Two of them, Malin and King, have even found a special place in the Kentaro family.

ATHLETE SPONSORING

Kentaro also actively backs up-and-coming athletes, such as Swiss ski star Tamara Wolf.