The organisations will leverage Fresenius Medical Care’s international CSR initiative, The Kidney Kid, to provide education and entertainment about kidney health to children and their carers
Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Malaysia, to work together in promoting kidney health and the prevention of chronic kidney disease amongst children and their families in Malaysia. The organisations will leverage Fresenius Medical Care’s international Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, The Kidney Kid, to provide education and entertainment about kidney health to children.
The Kidney Kid was first launched in the Asia Pacific on World Kidney Day in 2017 and has now grown to become a global success story that is bridging the gap to better kidney health knowledge and behaviours. As a comprehensive ‘edutainment’ (education + entertainment) programme, the colourful superhero is on a mission to help children learn more about their ‘super organs’, the kidneys, through a series of exciting adventures. Aimed at children aged six to 12 years old, The Kidney Kid resources are available to children, parents and teachers across comics, activities, games and videos through a game app and website, as well as print materials. The resources help children to learn how to keep their kidneys healthy while having fun in a group with their teachers or carers.
Kicking off in October this year, Fresenius Medical Care and NKF Malaysia will embark on a wide range of activities that include collaborating with schools and institutes to activate The Kidney Kid initiative with the overarching message of preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD). The partnership comes as a result of the growing number of kidney failure cases and the urgent need to educate Malaysians about prevention from an early age.
“The Kidney Kid represents Fresenius Medical Care’s commitment to building awareness of kidney health and assisting the prevention of CKD in the diverse communities we serve. Through this initiative, we have already reached over 60,000 children with our on-site events across the Asia Pacific region, and are now reaching more children globally. The superhero’s impact has been amplified through extensive media coverage, internet and social media presence. Importantly, by communicating health information through animation and interactive learning, The Kidney Kid’s health messages resonate across different age groups, cultures and literacy levels. We are delighted that we can now further extend our superhero’s reach through our collaboration with the National Kidney Foundation, where we will work together to help build healthier communities in Malaysia,” said Pradeep Ranjan, Managing Director of Fresenius Medical Care Malaysia.
“We are honoured that Fresenius Medical Care Malaysia has come forward to assist NKF in our public education and CKD prevention programs. Every year, more than 8000 Malaysians are diagnosed with kidney failure, with a total of 44,000 currently on dialysis. We believe this partnership, specifically with The Kidney Kid initiative, will provide crucial information on kidney health for children and their carers in a fun and interactive way. It’s never too early to take preventive measures, which is why we want to start the habit of good kidney care at a young age,” said Khor Xin Yun, CEO, NKF Malaysia.
