OUR WORK
Or.D.E.R. conducts workshops with school-age students out of a belief that early intervention and education is the best way to ensure that registering as an organ donor becomes an established and normalised decision made by the majority of Indian citizens.
Partnership with Gyanoday
The advent of the coronavirus pandemic has adversely affected our lives—socially, economically, politically, and personally—at a magnitude that we are yet to completely understand. So far, it has already impacted upwards of 113 million people worldwide and resulted in millions of deaths. In an unprecedented dark time such as ours, it becomes imperative for the civic society to rise up and for us to act on our collective responsibilities toward the community, especially toward those who continue to be unequally impacted. As we spent time locked away in our homes, I, along with many others, was racking my brain thinking of my position in the world that we inhabit, and how should I contribute meaningfully toward easing the crisis.
In December 2019, I had founded Or.D.E.R.—Organ Donation, Education, and Registration—a social initiative that seeks to raise awareness about organ donation among young people in India, and addresses the severe shortage of organ donors through early intervention and education. In our work, we also collect real-life stories of both donors and recipients to further the conversation around organ donation while also preserving these records of humanitarian acts in our archives for others to access, gain inspiration from, and insight into. To increase the impact of our work, we partnered with ORGAN India, a national NGO with whom we conduct workshops in high schools in the country to dispel common myths and encourage more students to take a pledge to become organ donors through targeted outreach and the provision of educational resources like comprehensive factsheets. While Or.D.E.R addressed a social and medical crisis, I still felt the need to alter the way we approach community service and to creatively reimagine our scope for contribution. Essentially, I wanted to employ the other creative skills that I had garnered, and use them to expand the fields in which I could create a positive impact without limiting my efforts to the healthcare sector.
In August 2020, I organized an online photo exhibition on my website and auctioned some photographs that I had taken—a total of 110 sales were made, through which I raised 2,75,000 Rupees, of which, 1,25,000 was donated to Organ India. However, I was also completely taken and inspired by the work that was being done by Gyanoday—a Doon School Alumni-led initiative that works for the upliftment of underserved communities in the country by working toward the holistic development of children and ensuring that the access to good education remains unhampered. The past year had been deeply challenging for us as students of the school even with the privileges and resources that we possess. I couldn’t even imagine the plight of those who do not have access to basic resources and are thus, disproportionately disadvantaged. So in February 2021, contributing more than half of the funds I’d raised—1,50,000 Rupees—to Gyandoday’s work became an obvious choice. They are using these funds toward digitalizing their resources, allocating a part of it to pandemic relief funds, and ensuring that their children receive the best education through novel methodologies, and extracurricular activities and programs focused on integrated personal development. As a part of my work for Or.D.E.R., I had also designed an original children’s book called ‘The Gift of Life,’ in consultation with ORGAN India. The book is centered around a story that highlights the necessity of organ donation in the country and focuses on issues that stand as barriers to the process. It is written in both Hindi and English in an age-appropriate tone and employs language suited to children enrolled in middle school. Since Gyanoday’s exceptional service makes a necessary intervention in the lives of school-going children, we believe that these children would benefit from reading ‘The Gift of Life’. In light of this, I donated 200 copies of the book to the initiative.
It makes me extremely proud to be a part of an important social initiative started by the alumni of our school, and I am grateful to organizations such as Gyanoday, for providing me with an opportunity to use my resources to create meaningful and significant improvements in the lives of our country’s children. I hope that in some way, it inspires others to take up the mantle of civic community service too as it was an absolute pleasure to be a part of their process and to understand how directed and constructive impact can change society. It is evident to me now that together we are more than the sum of our parts!
In the News
Session One December 9, 2019
The first session of Or.D.E.R was conducted with the lovely students of the Samarpan School. The session included a reading of the Gift of Life book, followed by a Q&A round. The aim of the session was to introduce the students to the concept of organ donation and to dispel myths about the same.
Session Two December 28, 2019
The second session of Or.D.E.R was conducted at the Navyug School. Jahaan went as the Organ Ambassador and talked with the students about the role of different organs and why organ donation is so important. He also distributed copies of the Gift of Life and discussed the book with the students. The students were enthusiastic and made for a very engaged audience!
