The South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has partnered with the Orgamites Education Programme to pilot “Mayrrow”, a campaign run in the month of May to raise awareness for stem cell and other organ donations, among primary school learners between the ages of five and eleven.
The programme which was recently launched in South Africa is a free, global initiative designed to educate children about organ health, donation and overall wellbeing. It uses engaging illustrated characters – organs brought to life as the “Orgamites” to make learning about health and organ donation both fun and accessible.
Orgamites Founder, Roydon Turner says the campaign is more than just a clever gimmick.
“Mayrrow is more than just a name change for a month, it’s a global movement dedicated to shedding light on critical health issues. The campaign is aimed at empowering young minds to make informed decisions when they’re older.”
Created to empower teachers to inspire their students via a range of free, fun educational resources, Mayrrow also seeks to dispel common misconceptions surrounding stem cell donation, emphasising that the process is simple and relatively painless.
Jane Ward, Deputy Director for the SABMR says targeting a younger age group seeks to strengthen students understanding of the various types of donation and spurs them on to make informed decisions when they’re older. The SABMR will be doing several talks and awareness engagements at schools around the Western Cape .
“Not only will this equip learners with the necessary information to inspire future donors, the resources are of such a nature that it can be shared with their parents, siblings and peers. This could have a ripple effect and lead to their parents and family signing up to become stem cell or blood donors. The more donors we have on the registry, the more lives we are able to save.”
The programme offers a variety of resources, including animated videos, lesson plans, posters, worksheets and interactive activities. These materials are created in collaboration with teachers, parents and healthcare professionals to ensure they are informative and fun. The Orgamites represent the organs most needed for donation and transplantation, helping children understand their importance in a relatable way.
Associate Professor Dave Thomson, Critical Care Specialist and a Consultant Surgeon in the Transplant Unit at Groote Schuur Hospital, was instrumental in bringing the campaign to South Africa. He says the programme has already been rolled out in Canadian schools to great effect and he hopes that it can be added into the South African school curriculum.
“It is really important that we empower conversation between learners, parents and teachers about what is possible and consent is always required for any donation. At its core the Orgamites teaching broad health messaging – these are your mighty organs, this is how you can look after them and that donation is an inherently kind and unselfish act that only happens after informed discussion. As Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” And we need more donors in South Africa.
For more information on the Orgamites Education programme or to download the free resources go to www.orgamites.co.za
ENDS
Issued by Meropa Communications on behalf of the SABMR. For further information, please contact Unity Ruiters from Meropa Communications on 082 392 6006 or email: unityr@meropa.co.za
Notes to editor:
About the SABMR
The SABMR (NPO) was established in 1991, motivated by the concern that although bone marrow transplants were a life-saving treatment option, they were only available to patients with a matching donor in their family. Today, the SABMR searches both locally and internationally for donors, thereby making collaboration with international registries and observing universal standards of practice essential.
About Orgamites:
The Orgamites programme was created in 2012 by Roydon Turner in the United Kingdom before being formalised in 2016. The programme is managed by the Community Interest Company, All Good Co. Committed to changing the world, we aim to shift the focus from only those waiting for an organ to everyone who has organs!
