The relationship between MOHAN Foundation and Akhil Bharatiya Marwari Mahila Sammelan began in 2019 with joint events to celebrate organ donation day.  Ms. Sandhya Agarwal - Lead for Tissue and Organ Donation of the Sammellan brought out the need to train her members in better understanding  of the concepts. In response to the request, MOHAN Foundation planned and conducted an online Angels of Change training program. This was also a part of the two-day Organ Donation Ambassador Training. Day 1 of the training was held on 20^th December, 2021 from 3.30 to 6.00pm. The objective was to give the group a complele understanding of organ donation and transplantation.  

Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, Q&A Officerof MOHAN Foundation gave a brief introduction to the training and what is expected of the participants. It began with a self-introduction of the 34 participants who were from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Delhi NCR, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. Most of them hold leadership positions in the state chapters of the Sammellan.  

After  the introduction, Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi, Program Officer of MOHAN Foundation gave an elaborate talk on the concepts of organ donation. She touched upon the need for transplant, who can, and when can organ donation be done. Brain death was explained with the help of a video. She also spoke of the importance of a donor card.  

Dr. Muneet ended with a case study of a donation by a foreigner in India. She explained the challenges and the final sense of fulfilment when the donation was completed. The participants were amazed by the work done by the Delhi NCR team of the Foundation.  

This was followed by a talk on ‘How to help Organ Failure Patients’ by Dr. Hemal Kanvinde. She spoke of the stress on a patient and the family, and how a transplant coordinator can help lessen this stress by providing appropriate assistance. She explained the principles of organ allocation and the regional distribution rules set up by the government. She also threw light on precautions and care to be taken post-transplant.  

This was followed by a video of a recipient Ms. Sushma Shinde, talking about the challenges following renal failure and during dialysis, and expressing her gratitude for the donor family who gave her a second chance at life.  

A poll was conducted to know the most common the myths about organ donation prevalent in society. The results showed that there was a lack of confidence in the medical care system. This was followed by Dr. Muneet elaboration on the common myths and corresponding facts. 

The session ended with a discussion on organ donation and body donation, and what could be done in states where deceased donation or organ transplantation have not yet commenced.