Fresenius Medical Care reaches mass in Asia Pacific launching kidney health initiative

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Fresenius Medical Care reaches over 6600 children, parents and carers in Asia Pacific with the launch of its superhero kidney health initiative

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – May 12, 2017 – To mark World Kidney Day on 9th March 2017, Fresenius Medical Care launched a brand new Asia-Pacific-wide Corporate Social Responsibility initiative through a series of public awareness events reaching 6600 children, parents and carers — as well as media, key renal health partners and government.

As the world’s leading provider of dialysis products and services, Fresenius Medical Care is committed to helping children develop healthy lifelong habits, and so created The Kidney Kid, an engaging edutainment program that takes children on a series of adventures where they learn more about their kidneys and how to keep them healthy.

The Kidney Kid’s messages are a perfect fit with this year’s World Kidney Day theme: Kidney Disease & Obesity. Healthy Lifestyle for Healthy Kidneys. Obesity is defined as excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. The most recent global statistics available show, that more than 1.9 billion adults worldwide are overweight. Of these, 600 million were obese. An estimated 41 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese, and nearly half of these children live in Asia.1

As obesity is a major risk factor for kidney disease, preventing obesity and chronic kidney disease go hand-in-hand.

Between 9th of March and 15th of April, dedicated teams of Fresenius Medical Care staff and volunteers from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand visited schools, orphanages, children’s hospitals and busy shopping malls, where they conducted kidney health awareness sessions: displaying the Kidney Kid animated video, followed by a kidney health quiz, distributing booklets and superhero masks, and offering free health screenings with their clinical staff. Across the region, children and adults alike engaged with The Kidney Kid character, enthused to learn more about kidney health and to identify themselves with their new favourite superhero.

“As a globally-leading healthcare company, our responsibilities go far beyond our core business,” said Harry de Wit, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care Asia-Pacific Limited. “Creating The Kidney Kid character and program as a centralised initiative has allowed Fresenius Medical Care to communicate a clear and consistent message about kidney health, while also considering the needs and cultural sensitivities of each country in the region. Each country has taken the campaign and made it their own, delivering education and entertainment in areas of greatest need and where it will have the greatest health-promoting impact. We are excited to continue developing The Kidney Kid program and to share our superhero’s continuing adventures in 2017 and beyond.”