Ajax's Thilo Kehrer using his success to help Burundi's children

Thilo Kehrer may have joined Ajax Amsterdam on loan from AS Monaco, but his mission away from football remains unchanged -- he is aiming to leverage his success in football to help children in Burundi gain access to opportunities on and off the sports field.

Germany defender Kehrer was born in Tübingen to a German father and Burundian mother. The Thilo Kehrer Foundation opened the Thilo Kehrer Center in Burundi's capital, Gitega, in 2022.

Apart from a football academy, the foundation has provided children with traditional and digital libraries, dance classes, cooking courses and cultural instruction in Burundi's drum tradition.

Speaking to ESPN Netherlands on his foundation's work more recently, Kehrer said: "The idea is to use my platform and the opportunities I have as a professional footballer to help children in Burundi.

"We have built a place there where children can learn, play sports and cook. It involves several different projects, set up together with family and close friends. We try to create opportunities for children who have very few."

The foundation's slogan, Terimbere, is a Kirundi term referring to positive progress and hope.

Ajax are set to visit Fortuna Sittard on Saturday in the Eredivisie as they look to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in their most recent match.

Kehrer only completed his loan move on Deadline Day and featured only for six minutes on debut at the Johan Cruijff Arena against the reigning Dutch champions. Defeat left Ajax with seven points from their opening four games - eight points behind leaders AZ Alkmaar with a game in hand.

Kehrer is confident of settling in and aiding Ajax's title push, having previously played for Schalke 04 - whose Veltins Arena is only a two-and-a-half-hour drive away from the home ground of the most successful club in Dutch football history.

"I didn't have to ask many questions. I already knew Ajax very well. I played for Schalke, which isn't far from here. Everything was already very clear," Kehrer said of his loan move.

"The most important thing for me is to be competitive and to compete for titles-to have the ambition to win trophies and matches. That's possible here. The foundations are in place; now we have to make it work."

On Tuesday, Ajax's home league match against Willem II is set to air on ESPN Africa (DSTV channel 218 - also available on Disney Plus for South African viewers). Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CAT (South African and Dutch time).