Dahadaan-Footprints in the Sands of Time

The best legacy you can leave behind is to donate an organ “Karamchand Gandhi”

Samara’s life was one of shadows and dark images. At 7, she had started losing her sight. Her retinal nerves had dried up. Within a year, her life had been reduced to moving in the near dark. Hand extended, begging for help, for support. Clinging on to whatever came her way.

The bright and chirpy child her parents and friends had known was now a skeleton. In the last seven years, she had asked for death so often, cried herself to sleep everyday. She did not want to grow up like this. She could not bear the pity in people’s voices or the ringing laughter in her friend’s voices. ” What have I done to deserve this God”? ” Why me?” Her God had no answer.

The only hope that kept her going was that the doctors had said her eyesight could be restored if somebody donated their eyes to her. But who would? And when…

Reva was bedridden. Two years earlier in a freak accident she had been hit by a speeding auto rickshaw. Her outer injuries had healed but her kidneys hadn’t. She had to be on dialysis every two weeks since then. Her health was failing. Various complications had arisen. She had had to give up school because she could not bear the pain. The doctors had given her just two more months. Unless, someone donated a kidney.

The representative from the “Dadhichi Dehadhan Mandal, Dombivali” (institute for Organ donation) had troubled eyes as he narrated all this to Ms. Jyoti Mundhe and her class. Organ donation his institution felt, was an education that needed to be taught from the school platform.

When the representative had approached the Navbharat Education Society’s English Medium High School, Bhiwandi (District Thane) he had met Ms. Jyoti Mundhe ,a teacher of the school. Ms. Jyoti had been very concerned and had promised to try and make the students in the school aware of it.

The next day, she had gone back to Dehadhan very excited. She had a brilliant idea on how they could spread their message not only amongst the school children but also amongst the parents, the neighbors, even to the people in the city. She had trained under Intel @Teach. As part of her training she was required to do a project with the children where they assumed roles, did their research and then compiled a collaborative report .This work could then be showcased in the form of presentations, brochures, handouts etc.

By integrating the use of technology, this program enabled children to expand their research beyond the boundaries of the books available to them. The use of the internet and the skills they learnt empowered them by letting them reach out to as large an audience as they liked. It also enabled them to showcase their work as presentations which carried their message to a large audience.

It was a cunning use of technology and one which was proving very effective in exploring the depth of potential of school children specially those in under privileged areas. That was because it provided them the same platform and the same tools as it did children from privileged schools.

Ms. Jyoti Mundhe wanted to take this up as a project with her children. She had requested the representative to talk to his class.

The representative continued with his address. He told the students that there was a long list of people who needed help. Dying mothers with young children, children who deserved the chance to a healthy life, fathers who were needed by the families but had only become a burden, and yet, they were completely helpless.

“The trouble”, he said, “lies in the attitude of most Indians”.” Organ donation had various myths and superstitions attached to it. People thought a body should be burnt intact or the Gods would be displeased. Many felt, they could not get the body of their loved ones cut up after their death, it was just too painful. Most did not even consider it or realize the importance of it.

“It is something we all have to pledge in our life time”. “Like insurance not for ourselves, but to give another person a chance to live”. Very earnestly, he added that we all say we are good people, yet the one way we can thank God for what he gave us, the greatest legacy that we can leave behind, that one act we ignore.

In their city approximately 200 people died every day, yet, the actual number of organs donated was only of I out of those 200. As a result, people waiting for donors more often than not, ended their lives in this wait.

As it was, the pitiable few who did get a donor had only 50% chance of survival. The situation was grim. What was needed was large scale awareness amongst the people, especially among the younger generation. They alone could convince parents and other family members. In turn they would grow up with a dedication to help society. Education and information were badly needed on the issue.

Next day the students started on their work enthusiastically. They worked in groups to help expedite the process of compiling information, meeting NGO’s, interviewing people. The report they compiled explored the superstitions and myths that existed and provided a scientific explanation of these misnomers.

They made posters, brochures and handouts exploding these myths. These were put up in colonies and outside of schools. Various banners were put during the public festivals such as Ganpati Poojan and Navratri.

The result was quite amazing. The first ones to be convinced were the students in their school. These students in turn carried the message to their parents through the handouts the group had made.

On the day of the Parent Teacher Meeting (PTA) the students made a presentation focusing on the life of children who needed donors. It touched the hearts of many parents there. A mother, whose daughter had died because she had a weak heart and a donor had not been found in time, came up to them after the meeting with tears in her eyes. She was too overcome to say anything, except that she wished somebody had done something like this then.

The Principal was very proud of their efforts. In order to aid their project he had gone out his way to facilitate things for them, like providing extra internet time. He was very happy when some parents actually decided to pledge their organs for use after their deaths. The effect was cascading. It seemed the wave of awareness created carried to all the members of their community.

The Principal and Ms. Jyoti Mundhe were both very satisfied with the work the children. They had managed to inculcate the use of technology to bring about social awareness. Collaboratively, they had worked on a project. They had learnt not just how effective technology could be, but opened new vistas of opportunities for themselves by learning how to use it effectively.

But, without doubt, what delighted the Principal and Ms. Jyoti most was that the children had left their footprints in the sands of time.

Samara and Reva now have a chance. So do so many others.

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