The second Angels of Change Program in the year 2018 was conducted for the students of the Visual Communication Department of SDNB Vaishnav College for Women, Chrompet on 10th February 2018 at 10 am in MOHAN Foundation Chennai. 12 students took part in this Volunteer Training Program.
Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, Quality Assurance Officer started the training program with an introduction on MOHAN Foundation followed by a quick review about the contents of the Angels of Change Manual and DVD which were given to the volunteers. She then started with the concepts of Organ Donation. She explained in detail the need of Organ Donation, Brain Death and Donor Card. The students were asked to practice taking an online survey, register as donors, like the MOHAN Foundation Facebook page and join the Angels of Change Forum.
This was followed by a small discussion on the methods and types of public awareness for the target audience. The students were then divided into groups such as events group, public awareness group and survey group. The survey group was asked to conduct a survey with auto rickshaw drivers and nearby shop vendors. The events group was asked to plan an event on organ donation, and the public education group learnt how to speak in public with the help of a presentation. Mr. Siva Shankar then took a session to gauge their understanding of the topic and showed them methods of creating awareness using booklets, stickers, posters etc.
The session then continued with the volunteers reading the “Stories of Hope” and viewing a heart recipient video. The students then wrote a thank you letter to a donor family.
Ms. Sujatha Suriyamoorthi, MIS Manager MOHAN Foundation explained the role of a transplant coordinator to the volunteers. She used various case studies to explain the complexities during a donation.
Each group then presented their work – like giving short information on what they are planning to do in their college by the events group; the survey group explained what happened while approaching a person to answer the survey and some students practiced public speaking in front of others.
The students have planned a mime on Organ Donation, they practiced during the session. The session ended with pictures of students individually holding the placards supporting organ donation and a group photo with MOHAN Foundation Staff.