We work in Italy and in low-income countries such as Kenya and Venezuela, supporting children, young people and people in need through projects in the fields of education, healthcare and social welfare.
The Germano Chincherini Foundation – Philanthropic Entity – was established in December 2001 according to the will of Germano Chincherini, who passed away prematurely in June 2000. It was founded and initially endowed by his wife, Helena Malm, who faithfully and scrupulously honoured Germano’s wishes and assumed the role of President for life.
The Germano Chincherini Foundation is committed to protecting and supporting children and young people living in poverty and hardship, with a special focus on the most disadvantaged communities in low-income countries. It also supports religious and secular institutions engaged in the same areas of work.
Since 2000, the Germano Chincherini Foundation has carried out major projects in Kenya to improve living conditions for local communities. It has built wells to provide safe drinking water, supported the Kwale District Eye Centre in the treatment of eye diseases, and contributed to the creation of a primary school in Ukunda, offering education to children aged 5 to 13 and guaranteeing them one hot meal a day.
In 2008, Nyumba ya Watoto was created, an innovative residential complex of
family homes welcoming orphaned children and those coming from situations of severe distress in a setting that closely resembles a family environment. The project was expanded in 2011 and 2015 to include educational and sports facilities and a teaching garden that helps support the food needs of the homes.
Thanks to these initiatives, many children have found a home, an education and new opportunities for the future.
The Germano Chincherini Foundation has implemented numerous initiatives in Italy, including the donation of ambulances to Letojanni and Bardolino, support to AVIS for the operation of a rescue boat on Lake Garda, and the funding of cultural and sports projects, including charity events and programmes for young people with disabilities.
Since 2019, the Foundation has launched an innovative social project with the opening of Caffè Di Più on Lake Garda. This venue is not only a café, but also a place of inclusion, where people with cognitive and relational disabilities receive training and job opportunities, thanks to a partnership with Fobap Onlus. In 2025, the Residenza Di Più was opened.
Through these initiatives, the Foundation continues to promote solidarity and inclusion in the local area.
Since 2010, the Germano Chincherini Foundation has supported El Jardín de la Esperanza, a project in Mérida providing care, education and assistance to vulnerable children from the Los Curos neighbourhood.
Over the years, the project has grown with the opening of a new centre in Loma de Los Maitines and, in 2023, thanks to the Foundation, it acquired its own premises in El Valle – La Carbonera. Here an Agricultural, Educational and Recreational Centre has been created to host educational and farming activities, ensuring a better future for the children.
The Story of Germano Chincherini
Germano Chincherini was born in Limone sul Garda in 1937. In the late 1950s, together with his parents and five siblings, he began running a small family guesthouse. In his spare time he would sell bunches of lemons along the main road, using a traditional local cart.
During those years he met the person who would change the course of his life: Eilif Krogager, a Danish Protestant pastor and founder of the travel agency Tjaerborg. Krogager recognised the great potential that Italy offered for the emerging mass tourism sector and decided to invest in Germano Chincherini, providing him with financial support and the opportunity to open his first major hotel. This was the beginning of Chincherini Hotels.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Chincherini Hotels experienced extraordinary growth, managing 58 hotels, both owned and leased, across Italy: from Rome to Ischia, from the Dolomites to Liguria, from Lake Maggiore to Lake Garda, from Monte Bondone to Sicily.
In the 1980s, foreseeing changes in the tourism industry, Germano Chincherini began restructuring the group: he sold some properties, phased out leased hotels and invested in modernising the main establishments, focusing particularly on Lake Garda and Sicily. In this new phase, he founded Parc Hotels Italia, a new company destined for a remarkable future.
With the creation of Parc Hotels Italia, state-of-the-art properties were opened, combining modern hospitality with a strong connection to local traditions.
The management model changed radically: instead of stand-alone operations, he implemented a centralised organisation with a travel agency, central reservation offices, shared purchasing warehouses, cost-control and planning departments, as well as a construction company dedicated to building and renovating hotels.
In 1990, driven by his passion for travel, Germano went to Kenya. There, alongside Father Angelo, with whom he formed a deep friendship, he discovered the harsh reality faced by many local communities. This experience sparked a strong commitment to solidarity and led to significant aid and cooperation projects.
In 2000, during a business trip to Sicily, Germano Chincherini passed away suddenly. At that time, he was working on several major projects: the completion of the Caesar Palace in Giardini Naxos, the design of a resort in Peschiera del Garda and the expansion of several properties in Sicily.
In 2001, fulfilling her husband’s wishes, Helena founded the Germano Chincherini Foundation – Philanthropic Entity – to honour his memory and continue his commitment to those less fortunate.
Under Helena’s leadership and with the support of his most trusted collaborators, the hotels envisioned by Germano were completed, and in Bardolino a new property was built and named Parc Hotel Germano in tribute to the founder.
In 2024, Helena Chincherini also passed away. Faithful to the values of solidarity that guided their lives, she chose to maintain a lasting bond with the Foundation: in her will she expressed the wish that the profits generated by the company Bellatrix should be devoted to supporting the charitable activities of the Germano Chincherini Foundation, thus continuing the work of solidarity they had begun together.
Vision
Mission
Defending the rights of children, young people and people with disabilities living in disadvantaged conditions and at risk of social exclusion, ensuring access to education, healthcare and equal opportunities.
Promoting pathways towards autonomy to enable people to achieve empowerment, working with local partners to respond to needs and fostering inclusion for a fairer world.
The Foundation defends the rights of children and people in vulnerable situations through concrete projects providing social, educational and healthcare support.
We work in close partnership with local and international organisations to guarantee access to essential resources such as education, safe drinking water, medical care and welcoming environments, promoting inclusion and personal development.
Through targeted initiatives in Kenya, Venezuela, Italy and beyond, we create opportunities for a more equitable and sustainable future.
How we operate
The Chincherini Foundation supports projects in the healthcare, social and educational fields for people in vulnerable conditions and at risk of social exclusion. It works both in Italy and abroad, in partnership with local and international organisations, with particular attention to low-income countries. While not setting geographical limits, the Foundation carefully assesses its knowledge of the context and its capacity to intervene, either directly or in collaboration with other partners, when selecting projects.
Its work is guided by the values of solidarity, inclusion, transparency, sustainability and the participation of local stakeholders. In evaluating proposals, the Foundation takes into account several criteria, including project coherence, the suitability of activities and tools to achieve the objectives, the efficiency and relevance of the financial plan, collaboration with local organisations and long-term sustainability.
Abroad, the Foundation focuses especially on the social and healthcare, educational and training sectors, with initiatives targeting the most vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people from disadvantaged family and social backgrounds.
In Italy, it supports projects nationwide through donations and initiatives in the fields of education, leisure and job placement for disadvantaged groups, with particular attention to people with disabilities.