#11
Internship by Dr. S. Anbumathi, Madras Medical College, Chennai.

I had a fantastic experience, especially given my keen interest in public health. I was trained to be an Ambassador for Organ donation during my internship from Jan to May 2023. . Following the completion of my MBBS, this opportunity provided an excellent platform for honing my skills in public health. I gained valuable insights into how the initiatives of a non-governmental organization (NGO) can complement government efforts in advancing public health. Dr. Shroff, my mentor, played a pivotal role in this journey.

His patient guidance not only imparted the fundamentals of research but also steered me through the process of conducting a research paper. Overall, this experience served as an invaluable learning platform, enabling me to acquire crucial skills in the field. Thank you very much for this opportunity! Read More

#12
Internship by Ms Aaina Kureel, Management Education & Research Institute, New Delhi.

My internship at MOHAN Foundation started on 1st July, 2023 for two months. I was first asked to coordinate with Ms. Bagmishika Puhan and Mr. Siddhant Gupta, who are both legal professionals at the TMT law firm in Delhi. I was asked to conduct extensive research on the laws of Organ Donation and Transplantation in India and other foreign countries. I learned a lot about “Living Will” legislation as well. This was something I was unaware of, so I gained knowledge through this research project.

One of the things I loved doing was using Facebook to increase public awareness. I did this by posting relevant information and posters about ORGAN DONATION on my profile. I had never conducted social media awareness before, so I was a bit worried about whether or not people would interact with my postings. However, I was amazed by the number of answers I received on my post and question about organ donation. All of this gave me a lot of confidence. I wasn't sure what else to post with my organ donation posters at first, but Dr. Hemal Kanvinde was a huge help and provided me proper guidance. I had an amazing time working as an intern at the MOHAN Foundation and received information and experience that will undoubtedly be useful in the future.

I'd like to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me during my internship at the MOHAN foundation and it really made my time wonderful. Overall, I had an enjoyable time. Read More

#13
Internship by Ms. Vijaya Lakshmi M, MMM College of Health and Science, Chennai.

I did internship at MOHAN Foundation regarding organ donation from Jan - March 2023. It is a pleasant experience at the same time I had gained more knowledge about organ donation. I observed many awareness program along with staff, for us it was like a practical session to do a presentation. In the upcoming days as an intern I did my first awareness talk about organ donation in Raghavi Hospital, followed by awareness talk in colleges also. This is the place which helped me to came out of my stage fear and also gave opportunity to give awareness talk in front of 150 peoples.  I did cleaning the donor registry. I am thankful for this opportunity to intern with MOHAN Foundation. Read More

#14
Internship by Ms. Vedhika N, MMM College of Health and Science, Chennai.

I started my internship at MOHAN Foundation for a period of two months. Thanks to MOHAN Foundation, for all the knowledge and practical exposure, which has shaped me into a good storyteller and a better communicator. This organization has made me do things which I have never did before and it was quite enthralling as I got to meet random people with different perspectives on organ donation and busting their myths regarding organ donation to presenting an awareness talk for students and making it an interactive session worthwhile till the end. Overall, it's a great platform to learn about organ donation. Read More

#15
Internship by Ms. Preetha P, MMM College of Health and Science, Chennai.

I was an intern at MOHAN Foundation for a period of two months (01/11/2022 to 31/12/2022). It was a pleasant experience, at the same time I had gained knowledge about organ donation. I was exposed to public eduction while accompanying the staff at awareness program. It was like a practical session. As a intern I did my first awareness talk about organ donation in ICICI Foundation, followed by awareness talk in Indian Red Cross Society. I understood the value of learning and reading to design a research project. This is the place which helped me to came out of my stage fear and also gave opportunity to give awareness talk in front of 95 people. Read More

#16
Internship by Mr. Pranav Sridhar K, Natinal Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli.

As I geared up for my two-month internship at MOHAN Foundation, I wondered whether it’d be taxing and whether I’d like working at an NGO. But within the first few days of my internship, I realized that I’d signed up for a great experience and that my preconceptions were wrong. The office was full of welcoming and kind-hearted people. I was provided all the support necessary during my initial days to properly understand the concepts of organ donation.  Through the course, I was provided the freedom to work on topics I was genuinely interested in, and this boosted my morale and creative process. Constructive feedback was always provided for my improvement. Across my internship period, I always felt ‘at home’ and enjoyed working for a social cause – a first-of-a-kind experience for me. I experienced immense satisfaction when I understood that I was working for a societal cause. Overall, I cherished every day of my work at MOHAN Foundation, and I am a proud Organ Donation Ambassador. Read More

#17
Internship by Ms. Lakshya Leo G, National Law University, Tiruchirappalli.

The prospects that a law student would have in a non governmental organisation, working on promotion of organ transplantation and donation, was ambiguous to me and my family when I joined as a legal intern at MOHAN Foundation. However, I was made to understand that it is a great opportunity ever since I understood how much legal issues must be looked into and resolved in this area of law. Unlike other areas of law that have been under constant scrutiny, the laws dealing with organ transplantation and donations had a lot of scope for development, only giving me more prospects to contribute greatly. Since the interns were given proper training about the concepts of organ donation before selection, being a part of the organisation and contributing to the cause becomes easier. I was assigned the work that is related to my area of expertise, the contributions done felt meaningful and content too. I would highly recommend students of any field to take up this opportunity since no talents can go waste for a cause like this. Read More

#18
Internship by Mr. Siva Ram Vemu, National Law University, Tiruchirappalli.

My internship at MOHAN Foundation commenced on 15th of June, 2022. I was first asked to work on the website policies of MOHAN Foundation website. I had done extensive research and suggested methods to improve the Policies of the MOHAN Foundation website. I coordinated with Ms. Bagmishika, Mr. Siddhant who both work at TMT law, Delhi. We reworked on the Privacy policy and intellectual property rights policy of the MOHAN Foundation website. It was a very valuable experience for me as a law intern at MOHAN Foundation. Added to this, I had also worked on drone policies for a drone experiment conducted at IIT Madras by MOHAN Foundation. I had to apply rules in the drone policy to make it ideal for the testing at IIT madras. I found this very interesting and valuable as I got to discover aspects of law that I thought I wouldn't in the course of my internship.

Yet, the highlight of my internship were two other achievements . The first was that I was able to donate blood to a child (barely 10 years old) who was suffering from blood cancer. This elevated my sense of gratitude to the next level. I am extremely happy to be able to donate blood for the first time with the help of MOHAN Foundation.

The second was overcoming my stage fright for public speaking. As part of being an ambassador, I was required to conduct a public awareness campaign. I generally saw myself as a person with extreme stage fear. I thought I would not be able to deliver my thoughts on the stage due to my stage fear and the whole talk would be futile. However, I was wrong. Dr. Hemal, Mr. Ganesh and Dr. Shroff along with all the staff at MOHAN Foundation were extremely supportive in overcoming my stage fear. The public awareness talk made me realize a confidence I thought I did not have. And what's more? I was able to convince soon to be adults to believe in the great cause of organ donation. For this, I am extremely grateful for MOHAN Foundation.

As a legal intern, I was very much intrigued by the Opt-in and Opt- out policies and the ethical aspects of organ sale. So much so that I even wrote an article trying to legalize organ sale. I had consulted this matter with Dr. Shroff and Dr. Hemal who both were very patient in answering my doubts and clarifying my thought process. Dr. Shroff had even sent me articles related to organ sale for me to read and enlighten my knowledge.

Dr. Shroff had also offered me and another co-intern to be co-authors for an article that would be published in a journal. This would propel my career to great heights and for this, I am thankful.

All in all, I loved working at MOHAN Foundation as it enriched me not only my knowledge but also provided me an opportunity to serve the community. These were life changing moments for me. Although my period as an intern at MOHAN Foundation comes to an end, I will forever be connected to this organization in every aspect possible. Read More

#19
Internship by Ms. Sai Navya Kurra, School of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad.

The past 4 weeks (27th June, 2022 to 22nd July, 2022) have been a great learning experience for me and one that I will cherish for a long time to come. For somebody who was intrigued by organ donation for a long time, this internshipwas a perfect opportunity to make myself more aware of organ transplantation along with understanding the legal provisions. The ‘Gift of Life’ course (which I was told to complete before my internship began) provided great insights into the basic concepts of organ donation and transplantation and prepared me for all that was to come for the next 4 weeks.

One of the highlights of my time as an intern with the MOHAN Foundation was the legal course on organ donation on the foundation’s platform. Not only did I learn more about the legal aspects but also the ethical aspects of organ donation. Extremely grateful to Ms Pallavi Kumar who mentored me throughout the process. Read More

#20
Internship by Ms. S.Divya Shanthi, MMM college of Health and Science, Chennai.

Internship at MOHAN Foundation for a period of 2 months was a wonderful experience to gain practical knowledge on what I have studied theoretically and it shows how an actual working environment will look like. After a few days of training in MOHAN foundation I began to realize which of my skills were most practical in the real world and which ones I needed to develop further. I also had the opportunity to network and interact with the general public which taught me how to handle people with different mindsets. I would like to thank MOHAN Foundation and its staff for giving me this wonderful opportunity which will have a greater and good impact in my future career. Read More

#21
Internship by Ms. Sweetlyn Vashnee Geils, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

Overall the internship was a great experience.It gave me a chance to interact with the general public. It gave me so much practical knowledge that I have never encountered anywhere else. The best part was getting field experience.

#22
Internship by Ms. Rachel Chacko, Stella Maris College, Chennai.

Immense respect for the MOHAN Foundation team and specifically my supervisor, Dr. Hemal Khanvinde. I started off not knowing anything about Organ Donation or transplantation but the guidance and nurturing environment Dr. Hemal provided helped me not just learn but enjoy the experience of learning. I'm thankful to MOHAN Foundation for trusting in me and my abilities to carry out Organ Donation advocacy programs and help promote health.

The theoretical knowledge and practical aspects of this field in medicine seemed interesting because of the creatively explained certificate courses. MOHAN Foundation makes sure that students leave enabled. They provide the freedom of space for students to explore themselves and bring out the best in them. I am grateful for this enriching internship program and would definitely recommend the same to anybody interested. Read More

#23
Internship by Ms. Bridgit S, Stella Maris College, Chennai.

I interned in MOHAN Foundation from the month of September to December 2021. It was really a very good experience and new learning. I got a better understanding of Organ Donation. The Gift of Life course was an eye-opener session. In these 3 months, I changed from a person who only knows about basics to a person who can even deliver a talk on Organ donation. This was a great improvement for me.

The ambassador training program helped me to connect with experts as well as organ recipients. In that training, the transplant experience was really motivating which I can share with anyone I am talking with. Through the community program, I got a great opportunity to share my learning with others, even motivating them to pledge their organs. The caregiver interviews were actually very helpful because from that interview I got an insight of the life of an organ failure patient.

In this internship, Dr. Hemal helped me to bring out the best in me and the constant support and corrections made me more perfect each day with my work. Read More

#24
Internship by Ms. Aswathy A.C, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

Hi, this is Aswathy. My internship in MOHAN Foundation during June & July of 2021 was very useful for me. Practical experience was the best part during the internship. At first communication, learning to deal with people and meeting deadlines was a challenging part for me. I learnt a lot in MOHAN Foundation. I am thankful to Dr.Hemal for teaching me how to write reports and guiding me in overcoming my fears. I learnt and understood organ donation, brain death and brain death certification.

Open communication was one of the strongest and most apparent skills that I learnt during my internship. I also conducted a survey on organ donation among house wives.

The colleagues in MOHAN Foundation were helpful and friendly to me. The best thing I inculcated from MOHAN Foundation was how to interact with the community without any fear. This internship was successful in furthering my knowledge on the Concepts and Processes in Organ Donation. The learning done here will help me when looking for jobs and needing references. Read More

#25
Internship by Mr. Debobrata Banerjee, Symbiosis institute of Health Sciences, Pune.

It has been a pleasure working at MOHAN Foundation. To be a part of the social cause that saves lives is itself a reward and working for a period of two months has taken me through a roller coaster of experience and learning. It has been a revelation to see the current situation of organ donation and hearing the stories of the donor families has moved me and somehow touched me personally to do more for the cause.

I personally enjoyed meeting people during my project and interacting with people who are on the opposite spectrum has helped me see the situation from a different perspective. It also made me understand that most of the health crisis including organ donation can only be solved if we focus not only the educated population in corporate and health professions but also the daily wage laborers and people of low socio economic status, and the impact of regional language is huge in conveying a message.

I am greatly thankful to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde who as a mentor gave me valuable inputs on all my works and helped me hone and improve my skills as an interviewer, surveyor and a research analyst. I learnt a lot during these times and I am grateful for the opportunity I got, and I am sure the collective experience will help me in future.

Thankyou MOHAN Foundation for being a part of my journey.

Podcast by Debobrata   Read More

#26
Internship by Ms. Kamatchi Ramu, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I am very glad to have interned with MOHAN Foundation. I learnt more about organ donation. Public talk and awareness gave me a great confidence. I thank MOHAN Foundation for this exposure.

#27
Internship by Ms. Haripriya M L, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I am very happy to have interned with MOHAN Foundation. I learnt so many things. Hemal Ma'am encouraged us to ask her two questions daily, so that we would think broadly. That was very interesting. Giving public awareness talks is what I liked most. It was a nice experience interacting with shopkeepers to tell them about organ donation and what they think about it. I am thankful for this opportunity to intern with MOHAN Foundation.

#28
Internship by Ms. Christy M, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

To describe my two months of internship at MOHAN Foundation: Simply awesome. I got to learn a lot during this period. Not only did I learn a lot, but also got to share a lot of what I learnt. Everyone at MOHAN Foundation was friendly and approachable. MOHAN Foundation gave me the platform for an opportunity to interact with different kinds of people - experts, general public, students, auto drivers, vendors, etc. To sum it all up, I had a great time. I thank Dr. Sunil Shroff, Dr. Hemal Kanvinde and everyone at MOHAN Foundation for giving me this opportunity and their valuable guidance.

#29
Internship by Ms. Gayathri Karthik, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

Interning at the MOHAN Foundation in Aug-Sep 2021, helped me understand the concept of organ donation and why it is important to donate one's organs. I learned a lot of things here. One of the best things which I have done in this internship is becoming confident in approaching people to support Organ Donation. This was through a survey which I conducted with the public where I had to speak with people with different mindsets. The opportunities that were given to me have truly benefited me to develop and improve my professional skills. There is also satisfaction that I worked for a social cause. I am thankful to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde for these opportunities. Read More

#30
Internship by Ms. Samiksha Ingale, Savitribai Phule Pune University

During the internship at MOHAN Foundation I underwent two training, Gift of Life Course and Ambassador Training. The Gift of Life Course was an excellent, professionally prepared course. Different aspects about organ donation, that are always grey areas in people's minds, are well covered and answered. I have found this course intellectually stimulating and gained a lot of knowledge. I was very impressed with the way words are used to make the thoughts more valuable. Thank you for this opportunity.

The Ambassador Training was more interactive. The session on Ask the Expert was very informative, wherein most of the doubts that I had with regard to the organ donation were cleared by the experts in the field. The session organized to brush up the presentation skills the new concept that I learned from that was the 10-20-30 rule of the presentation. I will surely try to inculcate that in my future presentations. I had participated in the photo contest which was organized during the organ donation week.

Lastly, I will like to conclude by saying there’s always new things to learn, I couldn’t continue my internship for more than one month because of the time barrier but I can surely say I have learnt many new things in the area of organ donation which will be surely beneficial for me in future and to guide others and create awareness as it is the part of my Profession.

I would like to specially thank Dr. Hemal Kanvinde ma’am for giving me this opportunity to explore this new field. She provided me constant support throughout the duration of my internship. Read More

#31
Internship by Ms. Jahnvi Mishra, Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad.

I had a great time interning with MOHAN Foundation and have gained a lot of valuable experience. I'm sure this will come in handy when I'm looking for new job prospects and require references. I'd like to express my gratitude to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde ma'am for the intriguing work and constructive feedback during my work on Organ Donation. Her guidance assisted me in identifying my strengths as well as areas where I needed to improve. During the internship, I learned and gained practical skills. I am confident that this experience will aid my professional progress."

#32
Internship by Ms. Vijayasri. K, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

It was a very good experience for doing internship in MOHAN Foundation. I learned a lot about spreading awareness on organ donation. Now I clearly understand about Organ Donation and how MOHAN Foundation helps people in organ donation. It was my pleasure to do awareness to the people for this noble cause. I conducted a survey and analysis of public perception and knowledge on Organ Donation. My favorite assignment was designing, filming and editing videos for Organ Donation Day. We visited small clinics to give awareness. It was a great experience to know how people react when we are approach for a noble cause. Read More

#33
Internship by Ms. Keerthika. D, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I got an opportunity to intern in MOHAN Foundation for the period of two months. Learned lot of things here. One of the best thing which I have done in this internship is online public awareness talk which took next step towards my success, I never thought of doing this and that session was filled with positive responses. The part which was difficult was public awareness survey. My respondents were government school employees, their attitude towards me as an intern disappointed me. Suggestion for government employees: you are educated so please treat us with little respect and dignity.

I learned how to design education posters and plan out motivational videos for a social cause. This was a different experience for me. When I thought its going good and interesting, the internship ended. Finally, I thank Dr. Hemal Kanvinde for giving this wonderful opportunity and for this knowledge, experience by correcting our mistakes like a guide. I wish this happy learning continues in future. Read More

#34
Internship by Ms. Glory Saleesha V, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I got an opportunity to intern with MOHAN Foundation for two months. One month went virtually due to this pandemic lockdown. I still remember the very first day when I was thinking what kind of works will I be given and I totally got frustrated when I was asked to read and learn about everything that is involved with organ donation; transplantation and that went for a week and “Gift of Life” course was added to it. The calls with Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, where she came up with the tasks that I was about to do made me realize why I was asked to learn that much in my previous week.

I started off with the tasks assigned to me. I learned to make an awareness presentation to the public by preparing my own Powerpoint Presentation, report writing, designing posters, conducting survey and data analysis, marketing, creating videos, social media campaign. These indeed was checked and corrected multiple times. At times I wondered why the repeated corrections, but to be honest it helped me give the best quality output and gave me more confident that I can do even more better. Yes, I became confident after completing my survey which I conducted with the public where I had to speak with people with different mind-sets. I became even more confident after doing my online awareness talk for around 45 members via zoom. I’m very grateful to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, an energetic woman, for helping and guiding me out in every task I did throughout my 2-month internship. Read More

#35
Internship by Ms. Apoorva Thorat, International Institute Of Information Technology, Pune.

From March 2021, I started working as an intern in MOHAN Foundation. I truly had an excellent learning experience while working as an intern in the foundation. I received the Organ Donation Ambassador training prior to starting my internship. This training helped me to gain a precise knowledge of Organ Donation and Transplantation. Our project was to develop a two hour e-learning course on Prevention of Kidney Disease on moodle platform.

This course helps to increase awareness among the people to prevent diseases by taking care of their organs. Over the course of this internship, the opportunities that were given to me have truly benefited me to develop and improve my technical as well as professional skills. I am glad that my first ever internship also provided me with knowledge about the noble cause of Organ Donation.

I learnt the importance of teamwork in the success of a project by following the wonderful leadership of our mentors. The entire mentor team was very helpful, supportive and welcoming throughout the internship. I would like to thank Dr. Sunil Shroff Sir and MOHAN Foundation for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Read More

#36
Internship by Ms. Manasi Joshi, International Institute Of Information Technology, Pune.

I am Manasi Joshi from Pune. I am a Computer Engineering student in the International Institute of Information Technology, currently in my third year. Working as an intern with MOHAN Foundation was a great experience for me. First I underwent training to understand Organ Donation and Transplantation. There is also a satisfaction that I worked for a social cause.

During this period I have learned many technical and professional skills. Our project was to develop a course on Prevention of Kidney Disease using Moodle a Learning Management System. It included creating interactive videos, theory content, interactive activities, games and many more. This was my first internship with no industry level experience before. Despite this they gave me the opportunity, trusted me, considered my college timings and exam dates and always encouraged me and my team to give our best. I thank Ms. Ishwarya, and all others whose support and guidance made our project work easy and headed towards completion. I thank Dr. Sunil Shroff and MOHAN Foundation for giving me this opportunity. Thanks a lot! Read More

#37
Internship by Ms. Janvi Rajendra Nandre, International Institute Of Information Technology, Pune.

I started my internship experience with MOHAN Foundation in March 2021. My father organises Blood Donation Camps every year. So I was excited after knowing about this internship and immediately applied. I wasn't sure how I'd perform since I didn't have any prior internship experience. But all my doubts were cleared after my first meeting with the mentors. As part of my internship, I underwent a training on the organ donation process through the Organ Donor Ambassador program.

It helped me study more about organ donation and how we can be helpful to society. I got a chance to interact with professionals and learn their work ethics. In the next part, along with my friends, I was assigned a group project to create a kidney course module and awareness games. The internship experience was awesome. It helped me broaden my knowledge in various technical and management skills. The MOHAN Foundation mentors were great. They were available to help us at any time of the day and task. Through this experience, we learned many things related to working on projects, team work, time management and many more. I am grateful to Dr. Shroff & Ms. Ishwarya and the whole mentor team for giving us this amazing opportunity. Read More

#38
Internship by Ms. Damayanti Dilip Chavan, International Institute of Information Technology, Pune.

I am Damayanti Dilip Chavan currently pursuing the Computer Engineering degree from International Institute of Information Technology. I have such a great experience while working for MOHAN Foundation. Our project was to develop an elearning course and place it on moodle platform. The course title was - Taking care of your Kidneys. In this course we created four different modules that will help people to take care of their organs. This internship gave me the insides of the industry and made me improve my professional skills. Beside that, the staff members are so helpful and supportive.

As this was our first internship, and with MOHAN Foundation we came to know of many divergent things that gave me faith to continue with many more such internships. I enjoyed this Internship. I am thankful to Dr. Sunil Shroff sir for granting us this opportunity. Read More

#39
Internship by Ms. Natalia Candanca Raaj, Stella Maris College, Chennai.

My time at the Foundation was wonderful and a great learning experience! I had very little knowledge on what organ donation or organ transplantation was before joining. The Gift of Life course by the Foundation filled me in all the areas that were required for working here. The activities that are carried out here is like an ocean of many networks striving to provide the best, compared to what is seen from the other point of view. I would definitely recommend this Foundation to my fellow peers and juniors for a life changing experience. Thank you so much, MOHAN Foundation for letting me intern! Read More

#40
Internship by Ms. Diana Kasiya Mary A., Department of Medical Sociology, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

In April and May 2021, working as an intern in MOHAN Foundation – I learned a lot. At first it was difficult that I doubted whether it is an NGO or the study room, cause spend I most of my time reading and learning. Honestly I didn’t get a good impression at first. May be I sound immature, but later I realised that the ground work I did before is just to make things easy. The knowledge I gained during that learning period helped me to perform a successful organ donation public awareness talk to 33 people in google meet. I learned how to write a newsletter article, which I didn’t know before MOHAN Foundation.

I wish I got an opportunity to give it a shot at information desk. This COVID-19 lockdown restricted us from field work. I liked the bag painting, between all the reading and writing works, this work was refreshing, I enjoyed it a lot. I guess we would have explored more if we weren’t stuck with this lockdown. And yeah social media campaign went well, I could explore many ways to make the content interesting so that people tend to take a look at it. It was a great experience working in this NGO, I’m very grateful for all the things I’ve learned there. Dr. Hemal Kanvinde who guided us all through this two month was very calm in handling us. Read More

#41
Internship by Ms. Subashini, MMM College of Allied Health Sciences, Chennai.

Interning at MOHAN Foundation has been one of the significant learning experiences in my life. If you ask me to describe my internship experience, in a word, then ‘Rollercoaster’ suits better. In the beginning it was great that I went for community survey, distributing brochures in my nearby areas, placing organ donation toll free number stickers in the small shops, but in the second half; the situation became upside down. As our country’s facing the second wave of COVID-19, all this pandemic and lockdown. I continued my internship virtually, which was completely a different case.

I totally missed being around people, public speaking, planning, and organizing events. It was challenging but now I learnt how to carry out social media campaigns. This taught me how to adapt if things do not go as I planned. ‘Gift of life’ course cultivated me to understand the concepts of organ and tissue donation.

I’m grateful to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde who helped me to get through this, every time she asks me to rewrite or update the same article or report over and over again, change this, change that in my PPT, I used to get frustrated at the beginning. But now I swear she made me better at writing and presenting. I feel confident enough to reach people and talk about this noble cause, either in person or virtual. Still a long way to go to ‘TOUCH THE UNTOUCHED’ which I took as a vow to continue my journey as an organ donation ambassador.

Quite a ride, Thanks a million! Read More

#42
Internship by Mr. Aditya Kumar Dubey, NIFT, Ahmedabad.

I worked as an intern at MOHAN Foundation and it was a wonderful experience for me. I was amazed with such a calm and pleasant work culture which lets you to enjoy freedom in learning and work. I would like to thank my mentor Dr. Hemal Kanvinde for guiding me so properly and being so kind to me. Flabbergasted with the amazing experience, It was really delightful to do some work for the society in the field of organ donation. The work actually rejenuvates the mind and body and let you think more about how you can be helpful to the society.

I worked on multiple projects at MOHAN Foundation such as an unconventional way to represent organ donation through photoshoots meant for exhibition, a calender based on surrealism art, worked on an instagram campaign running for 1 month, made a book for children and also got some other opportunities to make some newspaper ads and a few poster.

I would like to thank the organisation for such a vision changing opportunity. Read More

#43
Internship by Ms. Preeti, NIFT, Gandhinagar.

Hello, my name is Preeti and I'm a NIFT Gandhinagar Fashion Communication student. As I am in my fourth year, i.e., last year, we are required to submit a Graduation Project in which we collaborate with an organization/brand to complete our project. I am very pleased that I was able to work for a worthy cause as part of my graduation project with the MOHAN Foundation. In a time duration of 4 months, I worked on 4 different projects: A social media campaign, Surrealism art on Organ donation for calendar 2022, Photoshoots for exhibition and, a book for children.

It has been a great journey overall with the organization and I am eternally grateful for providing me with this opportunity to work as a design intern, and accepting my ideas and work. I have undergone holistic development and I’ve gathered more knowledge than I ever could about "Organ Donation". I am thankful to every member of the MOHAN Foundation for the timely guidance and support you provided me.

Thank you once again! Read More

#44
Internship by Mr. Umar Nath. P, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

The two-month internship program at MOHAN Foundation was a great experience that gave a good exposure in the field of Organ Donation. I was not much aware about Organ Donation before I came into MOHAN Foundation for internship. I understood that it was a very complex issue. It helped me to study more about organ donation, taught me how to face the public. I got the chance to assist in many awareness programs. Promoting the cause and creating organ donors can also be done by approaching to the public with a wording of “Be an Organ Donor, Not an Organ Recipient”.

This is my opinion which I have come to through my two month program.

I would like to thank MOHAN Foundation team especially Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, and Ms. Ishwarya Thyagarajan for encouragement, support and guidance. I also thank Dr. Sunil Shroff for providing the opportunity to be a part of MOHAN Foundation for two months. Read More

#45
Internship by Mr. Naveen Antony .V, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

My two-month internship in MOHAN Foundation was very useful for me. Practical experience was the best part during the internship. At first communication, learning to deal with people and meeting deadlines was a challenging part for me. I learnt a lot in MOHAN Foundation. I am thankful to Ms. Ishwarya Thyagarajan and Dr. Hemal Kanvinde for teaching me how to write reports and guiding me in overcoming my fears. I learnt and understood organ donation, brain death and brain death certification. I have learnt the value of team work.

Open communication was one of the strongest and most apparent skills that I learnt during my internship. I also conducted an awareness among bus drivers which help me to develop my communication skill and overcome my anxiety to speak with strangers.

The colleagues in MOHAN Foundation were helpful and friendly to me. The best thing I inculcated from MOHAN Foundation was how to interact with the community. This internship was successful in furthering my knowledge on the Concepts and Processes in Organ Donation. The learning done here will help me when looking for jobs and needing references. Read More

#46
Internship by Mr. Kartik Sinha, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

I am a student in 1st year LLB at Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad. I did a 3 week internship at MOHAN Foundation. It proved to be an invaluable experience as I learned many things about organ donation. The online module given to me and the interactions with experts helped me to become an Ambassador for Organ Donation. The awareness campaign I hosted and the presentation that I prepared, helped me to overcome my shyness and helped me to become a better public speaker. I really value my time at the Foundation and I am really thankful to everyone who made the experience so special to my personal and professional development. Read More

#47
Internship by Mr. Vishal Kanchi, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

I am Vishal R Kanchi, was an intern at MOHAN Foundation in March 2021. The internship at MOHAN Foundation was knowledgeable as well as enjoyable. The three-module structured training was designed to provide complete knowledge about organ donation. Starting from educating us about organ donation using online materials and videos, the members of MOHAN Foundation made sure that we were clear with the aspects by organizing a discussion with the experts.

Then, to complete our final step as Organ Donation Ambassadors, we had to do our own public awareness campaign, which made us familiar with the common queries and doubts of people. Overall, the whole experience was a very meaningful one. I thank the MOHAN Foundation for providing me with this opportunity and promise to create awareness among more people. Read More

#48
Internship by Ms. Maanvi Trivedi, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

In March 2021, MOHAN Foundation gave me an opportunity to intern with them and learn about the noble act of Organ Donation. As one of their interns and an Organ Donation Ambassador I also underwent an ambassador training programme which was divided into three parts. In the first module, they taught us about organ donation, the myths & facts, the legal aspects and many other things via videos and reading materials. At the end of Module One we were given a “Gift of Life “certificate.

In the second module, we attended a virtual meeting with experts who further enlightened us and also cleared our queries and had discussions on the same. In the course of this internship, I gathered sufficient knowledge on organ transplantation, the laws and the ethics attached to it and would continue creating awareness among the mass. I am very grateful to MOHAN Foundation for providing a plethora of opportunities and making me a part of their organisation. Read More

#49
Internship by Ms. R. B. Sneha, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

I am R. B. Sneha from Chennai and currently I’m pursuing BBALLB at Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad. I did an internship at MOHAN Foundation for the time period of 3 weeks in March 2021. I had a really great experience because although it was online like “work from home” due to COVID-19. Firstly, I had to complete a One-day Online Certificate Course on Organ Donation, “Gift of Life” which consists of lots of information about organ donation and what kind of organs can we donate.

Secondly, we had discussions with experts about organ donation and it was an interactive session and I learnt a lot. Thirdly, staff of MOHAN Foundation guided and made me present to an online audience a session on Awareness on Organ Donation. Throughout my internship journey I really had great experience and made people aware about Organ Donation. Everyone should do this course if they wish to be an organ donor regardless of their prior knowledge. I really thank all the teachers, you really made us understand about the importance of organ donation. Read More

#50
Internship by Ms. Himangi Nagar, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

I am a law student at Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad. I got the opportunity to intern at Mohan Foundation during the March of 2021. It was an invaluable experience. I learnt so much about organ donation during my time there. Even though the internship was online, I felt properly guided and ready to be an organ donation ambassador. I even conducted a public awareness talk on my own. The internship has been extremely informative and inspirational and I would totally recommend working with such an amazing group of professionals.

#51
Internship by Mr. Avinav Jena, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

I, Avinav Jena, 1st year B.A.L.L.B., Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad was grateful enough to get an opportunity to be an intern at MOHAN Foundation wherein we were supposed to get ourselves enrolled in “The Gift Of Life” Course which was divided into three modules. In the 1st module with the help of several videos and online reading materials, the concepts, ethics and myths related to organ donation were discussed. The 2nd module was an interactive session between the interns and the medical professionals and other members of MOHAN Foundation who helped the interns in clearing all their doubts.

The final and the last module required the interns to conduct a video interactive session and present before the audience the basic concepts of organ transplantation, the ethics associated with it and the myths related to it, the basic objective of which was to create awareness among the mass about organ transplantation in India and was conducted on a virtual platform. Read More

#52
Internship by Mr. Prajal Joshi, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

Interning at MOHAN Foundation (Feb-March 2021) provided a wonderful insight to the world of Organ Donation. It helped me understand the concept of Organ Donation deeply and why it is important to donate one's organs. It made me capable of talking and educating other people about organ donation and think about the legal aspects of the concept.      

#53
Internship by Ms. Atluri Srividya, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.

I interned at MOHAN Foundation in Feb - March 2021. The internship had an online training called the Organ Donation Ambassador volunteer training. It was really informative, all the doubts which I had earlier were cleared by this course. It has also boosted my knowledge on organ donation from different perspectives like the technical, legal, ethical and moral and the myths on organ donation were clearly explained. The talks of experts gave insights into depth of all aspects of organ donation and the talks by actual donor families and recipients were very motivating.

From this course I got to know the value and the requirement of the organs in our country. MOHAN Foundation has taken a great initiative in spreading awareness to the people and promoting the organ donation among the families and friends. I myself spoke to more than 10 people through a zoom interaction after my training as an Ambassador. Read More

#54
Internship by Mr. Muhammed Junaid, School Of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

My internship with MOHAN Foundation began on 5th October 2020, for a period of 2 months. I was placed at MOHAN Foundation Bengaluru office under the supervision of project manager Mrs. Ranjini Shankar. She introduced MOHAN Foundation and it's services across our country and state activities to us. During the internship I interacted with two transplant coordinators Mr. Marulappa and Mrs. Hemavathi and shadowed them during their hospital rounds and assisted them.

They were instrumental in explaining the process of organ and tissue donation and ready to clarify doubts.

The internship provided a good understanding about the functioning of the Foundation which prepared the trainee to be committed to the field work. The constant guidance and unfailing support from the supervisor helped me to learn a lot. Read More

#55
Internship by Mr. Noyal Thomas Neeliyara, School Of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

I am Noyal Thomas Neeliyara, MSW, from Roshni Nilaya School of Social Work Mangalore. In 2020, October and November, I did an internship at MOHAN Foundation Bengaluru Office as part of my course work. Some activities carried out by me were, creation of public awareness tools, checking the dialysis centers, participation in fundraising events and in webinars meeting different stakeholders at hospitals. Through this internship I was able to learn and gain more knowledge about organ donation.

I got exposure to how transplants live living and cadaver transplant are done in hospitals. I understood the importance of grief counseling and documentation of every donation case.

All the staff in MOHAN Foundation, Bengaluru office are very cooperative and helped me to gain more knowledge in the field of organ donation. Read More

#56
Internship by Ms. B. Akshitha, Guru Nanak Business School, Hyderabad.

I learnt more than what I expected. After doing as an internship in MOHAN Foundation my thought process towards organ donation has changed. I understood the importance of organ donation, it can save many lives. Webinars were very helpful for me to understand things, what people around the world think about organ donation. My interviews with transplant coordinators made me aware of the processes in hospitals and the vital work they go. It made me prepare for the interview.

Creating awareness among the people through powerpoint and taking their responses was a good experience. As it was COVID-19 my internship was work from home a new experience. It was great working with Dr. Hemal. Read More

#57
Internship by Ms. Bhavana Akilan, Saraswathi Vidyalaya Senior Secondary School, Vadapalani, Chennai.

There are some experiences that help you turn over a new leaf. My time here at MOHAN Foundation was one such priceless experience. My one-month internship was completely online since I took it up during the lockdown period. Despite this, I gained immense exposure and in-depth knowledge about the concept of organ donation. Dr Hemal, who was with me throughout, was my pillar of support and my guiding force. Ms. Ishwarya, Mr. Suresh and a few others were instrumental in shaping my journey here.

During the internship I took up various tasks here, such as learning about organ donation, organizing an online series of events, conducting public awareness campaigns and interactive sessions for varied audiences. Each of these tasks helped improve my people skills and various other soft skills. I now understand how people look at organ donation and have gained enough knowledge on the subject to discuss with public about their apprehension.

I can confidently state that I have evolved into a much better version of myself. I am forever indebted to MOHAN Foundation for helping me see the world from an angle so beautiful that I can’t put it into words. Read More

#58
Internship by Dr. Syeda Sana Ali, Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad.

My internship with MOHAN foundation began on 1st June 2020 for a period of 2 months. Since we were experiencing a countrywide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I opted for a virtual internship. Due to the pandemic situation, I had concerns about missing out on key elements of my internship. However, my time at MOHAN foundation led me to understand the essential aspects of organ donation, of which I had limited knowledge. I am happy with the skills I have acquired. Through the guidance of Mrs Lalitha Raghuram and Dr Hemal Kanvinde, I have gained valuable experience that will help me define my goals for the future.

During the internship, I undertook a survey to assess the Knowledge and Attitude of public health students towards organ donation and did analysis of the same. I also did a thorough literature review on knowledge and attitude of health care workers towards organ donation and also about organ donation pledging systems in different countries. A webinar was conducted for 1st year students of Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad.

I thank MOHAN Foundation for giving me this opportunity to intern in their esteemed organization. Read More

#59
Internship by Mr. Muthurampandian R, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

I got an opportunity to pursue my internship with MOHAN Foundation and I was involved in developing an App for “Brain Death Certification”. My internship with MOHAN Foundation not only helped me gain experience on App development but also to educate myself about the noble cause of organ donation. Working on visuals such as images was an enriching experience. I am thankful to the MOHAN Foundation team for their valuable guidance and support throughout my internship.

#60
Internship by Ms. Kothaai R, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

I got an opportunity to pursue my internship with MOHAN Foundation and I was involved in developing an App for “Brain Death Certification”. My internship with MOHAN Foundation not only helped me gain experience on App development but also to educate myself about the noble cause of organ donation. Working on the content and other supporting materials such as images was an enriching experience. I am thankful to the MOHAN Foundation team for their valuable guidance and support throughout my internship.

#61
Internship by Mr. Ajai Krishna J M, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

I got an opportunity to pursue my internship with MOHAN Foundation and I was involved in developing an App for “Brain Death Certification”. My internship with MOHAN Foundation not only helped me gain experience on App development but also to educate myself about the noble cause of organ donation. It was an enriching experience to work on the various phases of App development - designing, developing, testing and deployment. I am thankful to the MOHAN Foundation team for their valuable guidance and support throughout my internship.

#62
Internship by Mr. Mageshwaran B, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

It was a great experience working as an intern in MedIndia. Came to know a lot of about transplantation and brain death. Our supervisor was so kind and generous, which fueled my spirit. It reinvigorated my interest in coding, in general. I worked as a front end developer for iOS app. It was great fun working on that.  

#63
Internship by Mr. Logesh D, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

My intern at MOHAN Foundation was very valuable and remarkable. We as a team of three were given to build an application related to organ donation, during this we learnt more innovative and interesting facts about organ donation and tried to implement in the application. My part in this application was on the front end design and User interface, it was more challenging part for me. People in MOHAN Foundation were so helpful and kind in clearing all our queries and providing the required information.

I would like to thank Hemal mam and Sunil Shroff sir for their guidance, support and motivation for building this application. Read More

#64
Internship by Mr. Arun Kumar S, KCG College of Technology, Chennai.

I did my internship at MOHAN Foundation as an App Developer for the “Organ Donation App”. I worked on both front-end and back-end of Android as well as iOS version of this app. I started the internship without knowing anything about MOHAN Foundation. When I got to know about it, I was proud to work in such an organization. I am very much happy that my work has a valuable use to the society. During the two months of my internship, I felt very comfortable with people who work at MF. It was really a great experience.

#65
Internship by Ms. Sehar Sethi, OP Jindal Global University, Haryana.

My time with MOHAN foundation was limited to a period of one month, but what I learned cannot be defined by this figure. Not only did the internship help me gain confidence by presenting, but also helped me get a clear picture of the laws governing Organ donation in India. The amount of information I gained by researching for the projects I was given, helped making me a more knowledgeable person who can share their knowledge with others with confidence.

Since the tasks given to me also involved interaction with the general public, it made me gain communication skills, and I also got to know the views of different people on organ donation. It made me realise that the public lacked general awareness and that is why efforts should be made on personal level everyday to spread awareness to save lives. I consider myself fortunate that I was given this opportunity to work with the people who run this organisation so successfully and learn from them. Read More

#66
Internship by Ms. Susmitha Gurung, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai.

When I first started interning at MOHAN Foundation, I was intimidated and nervous to ask questions because I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t understand or that I needed some extra help. Luckily I got over that fear quickly because asking questions is the only way to learn. Before internship I had zero knowledge about organ donation but now, this internship helped me to acquire in depth knowledge about organ donation and transplantation.

Open communication was the best part of my internship because it helped me learn more things. I attended and conducted public talks, read and wrote about organ donation, conducted a public survey, learnt the use of SPSS analysis tool, the importance of references and different reporting formats.

As my internship draws to a close and I reflect back on all diverse skills I have learned, I realize what a good experience this has been. I am truly grateful to Dr. Sunil Shroff for giving the opportunity to intern at MOHAN Foundation. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde for her complete guidance and support from the beginning to the last day of internship at MOHAN Foundation. I’m thankful to all the colleagues for creating a friendly environment at the work place.

I am happy with the amount of things that I have learned and experience of being an intern in this organization for the last two months. Read More

#67
Internship by Ms. Angeline Racheal, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai.

My experience in this organization was very useful and rewarding in gaining valuable insight into the organ donation and transplantation. I thoroughly enjoyed working with the organization and it was a pleasure being part of such a creative team. First of all, I am very much thankful to Dr. Sunil Shroff for giving me this opportunity to do my internship at MOHAN Foundation.

My heartfelt thanks to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde for guiding and teaching me how to utilize these two months of internship to gain more knowledge on organ donation and transplantation, how to conduct surveys and organise campaigns. I also thank all my colleagues at MOHAN Foundation who were approachable and helpful to me during this internship.

The best takeaway from MOHAN Foundation for me was how to interact with a large number of people without any fear. I also learned to work well as a team and understand that without my teammate no work would get done.

As a whole I believe that this internship was a successful one in furthering my knowledge and my career. Read More

#68
Internship by Mr. Raghul Ravindranathan, Chennai.

I came into MOHAN Foundation essentially a stranger, a 16 year old American kid interning in Chennai. As a high school student from America, I can say that students do not typically go overseas to complete summer internships and instead choose to stay within the country doing summer programs or observing professors. However, doing an internship at MOHAN Foundation and going overseas unlike most of my peers was easily one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I got to work alongside a brilliant staff here, all of whom were extremely welcoming and I became close friends with them easily.

The staff helped me and vice versa as we all worked together to further the cause of organ donation in India. This cooperative spirit and the lighthearted, friendly culture maintained at the office were two of the best qualities of my internship. Many adults dread the prospect of going to work every morning, and go well into their 30s finding a job that they truly love. I'm extremely thrilled to say that in one month, I found that opportunity here at MOHAN Foundation.

While I was here at MOHAN Foundation, I completed a variety of tasks, all of which I had an absolute blast doing because of the outstanding staff here. I prepared and presented on the basic concepts of organ donation as my very first task. After that, I created a slideshow on the myths surrounding organ donation as part of the social media campaign, and that slideshow is currently on the MOHAN Foundation Facebook page. I also did some work in the graphic design department. I implemented slogans that will be used on organ donation posters that will go up on the website. I also designed a Pictionary game for the children at the schools where MOHAN Foundation will go as part of their awareness campaigns. The game can be played in both English and Tamil, and I also designed the layout and background of the word cards for the game. I attended and spoke at a student volunteer training program here in Chennai called the Angels of Change and prepared a video for this event as well.

This leads me into the work I performed the most often here at MOHAN Foundation: I helped create and edit videos which will be used in public awareness campaigns. These videos feature the inspirational stories of a heart transplant recipient, a double hand transplant recipient, and a kidney recipient. Hence, it is quite evident that MOHAN Foundation gave me a plethora of opportunities to do lots of varying work here. I will be forever grateful for the wonderful experience that they have provided me with. Read More

#69
Internship by Ms. Shyamala Shruthi M, M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai.

I am Shyamala Shruthi. M from M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women. I did an internship for a period of one month at MOHAN Foundation. During the course of which i learnt many valuable life lessons as well as other educative experiences which i was lucky to be a part of. I had my hand at spreading word on organ donation through marketing and promotion and met people from different backgrounds. I proof read many of their Newsletters, through which I understood the history of the Foundation as well as the work that is done in the world to promote Organ Donation.

I got to know the varied aspects of organ donation and all in all it was an advantageous experience. Read More

#70
Internship by Ms. Swapna Prasad, MOP Vaishnav College, Chennai.

My internship at MOHAN Foundation began with an understanding of the Concepts of Organ Donation and preparing a presentation. I was asked to market an award-winning exhibit “Life before Ashes”, which had different reactions from different people. I learnt a lot of things, starting from the basic misconceptions on organ donation to the mind set that people have towards organ donation. Communicating to different people, trying to change their mind set was one the key things I learnt during the 2 months.

This internship is something I’ll truly value. Being exposed to the world, how to approach people and how to change the mind was one of the biggest challenges, but an educational and fun one too. Read More

#71
Internship by Mr. Alen Shaji, School Of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

My internship began with an Angels of Change training along with CISF staff, Post the training, I was placed at Jeevsarthekathe, Bengaluru, the State Authority for Deceased organ donation and transplantation in Karnataka with the help of Mr. Shridhar Hanchinal, Director, MOHAN Foundation Bengaluru. He helped us to understand about organ donation and working of Jeevasarthekathe. Dr. Kishore Phadke, Convenor, Mrs Manjula, Chief transplant coordinator guided us.

I was exposed to the work of the State Authority and was given the task of updating some parts of the registry. I visited other hospitals to get information on post transplant outcomes of recipients. We met the transplant coordinators in each hospital and gained an understanding of their duties and responsibilities.

Altogether this was an educative experience for me. I acknowledge the help provide by Mr. Shridhar Hanchnichal, Dr. Phadke and Mrs. Manjula in making my internship a rewarding one. Read More

#72
Internship by Mr. Deno Thomas, School Of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

On 10th of December 2018 I started my internship in MOHAN Foundation, Bengaluru. I placed at Jeevasarthakathe, Bengaluru, the state authority for Deceased organ donation and transplantation in Karnataka with the help of director Shridhar Hanchinal MOHAN Foundation Bengaluru. He helped us to understand about organ donation and working of Jeevasarthakathe.

Dr. Kishore Phadke, The Convenor, Mrs. Manjula, Chief transplant coordinator guided me. During the internship I understood the complexity of the work within the state body. I created excel sheets with the details of both donor and recipients for the year 2018. Follow up information on the recipients was sought, through personal visits to the hospitals. I visited 23 hospitals in Bangalore to know about the status of the patients. I met the transplant coordinators in each hospital and gained an understanding of their duties and responsibilities.

Altogether this was a great experience for me. Read More

#73
Internship by Mr. Sony Thomas, School Of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

As a one-month intern in MOHAN Foundation, Hyderabad I was very happy to proudly say that I got a clear picture about Organ Donation and Transplants which am unaware before. Mr. Sachin Sunny and myself were placed in Hyderabad office under the supervision of Country Director, Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram on 10th December 2018. She explained about MOHAN Foundation and its services across our country. Then she introduced two transplant coordinators to us Dr. Bhanu Chandra and Mr. Bhanu Prakash and told us to assist them. They were very helpful and ready to clarify our doubts and we shadowed them in their work.

We participated in different types of activities such as awareness campaigns about organ donation and Angels of Change in Hyderabad at Century Multi Speciality Hospital. With this activity we acquired more knowledge about organ donation and MOHAN Foundation. We did one research on Public Perceptions and Attitudes towards Organ Donation and powerpoint presentations about organ donation, transplant laws, myths and misconceptions in organ donation. Lastly, we collected the details about all MSW colleges in South India to do the awareness among them.

I had got an extra ordinary and career-oriented experience in MOHAN Foundation in Hyderabad under Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram and other office staff. We could not attend any cases with transplant coordinators was the drawback in the internship. Even though language was a barrier but we could overcome it. More or less one-month internship in MOHAN Foundation was a remarkable achievement in life. So very thankful to MOHAN Foundation and its staff for giving us an opportunity to work with in your organisation. Read More

#74
Internship by Ms. Sunisha S.S, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I am Sunisha S.S studying B. Sc. Medical Sociology at Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai. This internship was a new exposure for me. I was engaged in many of the programme conducted by them. It helped me to become aware about Organ Donation and Transplantation procedures. A clear plan was developed by the MOHAN Foundation team which helped me to move in a systematic manner.

Other than the activities they made me to read and study more on medical terms and also about Organ Donation. This internship moulded me into a better knowledgeable person. I got a chance to see and accompanyseniors with more practical exposures.

I learnt the things like initiating and participating in social conversations and interactions, presentation techniques, public speaking. Through the short projects given to me I learnt study and analyse, word document formatting and design, event organizing and planning. I independently conducteda survey and data analysis, report writing skills, research works and conducting campaigns. I have got lots of ideas about different settings. I know these all will surely help me in future. I sincerely thank Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences and my heartfelt thanks to Dr.HemalKanvinde, Ms. IswaryaThiagarajanand Mr. T. S. SivaShankar for their guidance. I am grateful to all the staff in MOHAN Foundation for their friendship and support given to me. Read More

#75
Internship by Mr. Albin Joseph, MMM College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

The two-month internship in MOHAN Foundation was very useful for me. Practical experience was the best part during the internship. At first communication, learning to deal with diverse people and meeting deadlines was a challenging part for me. I am thankful to Ms. Aishwarya and Dr. Hemal for teaching me how to write reports and guiding me in overcoming my fears. I learnt and understood organ donation, brain death and brain death certification through interaction with grief counselors. I have learnt the value of team work. Open communication was one of the strongest and most apparent skills that I learnt during my internship. I enjoyed the 10 day Helpline Publicity Campaign and Auto-Rickshaw driver’s survey.

The colleagues in MOHAN Foundation were helpful and friendly to me. The best thing I inculcated from MOHAN Foundation was how to interact with the community without any fear. This internship was successful in furthering my knowledge on the Concepts and Processes in Organ Donation and Transplantation. The learning done here will help me when looking for jobs and needing references. Read More

#76
Internship by Mr. Sachin Sunny, School Of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

As a one-month intern in MOHAN Foundation I got a clear picture about Organ Donation and Transplantation. We were placed in Hyderabad office under the supervision of country director, Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram from 10th to 29th December 2018. She explained about MOHAN Foundation and its services across our country. The senior transplant co-ordinators, Dr. Bhanu Chandra and Mr. Bhanu Prakash mentored us during the internship.  I attended and conducted more than three awareness activities in organ donation and participated and assisted the Angels of Change Volunteer Training in Hyderabad at Century Multi Speciality Hospital. This increased my knowledge about organ donation &I could clarify the doubts.

I was asked to design a research study on “Public perceptions and attitudes towards organ donation” and prepare powerpoint presentation about organ donation and transplants, laws of organ donation and myths and misconceptions in organ donation. Both activities helped me to go deep into the subject.

In nut shell, I got an extraordinary carrier-oriented experience in MOHAN Foundation in Hyderabad under Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram and senior transplant coordinators. Only drawback was that I could not attend any actual cases with transplant coordinators in the hospitals. Even though language was a barrier I could overcome it. More or less one-month internship in MOHAN Foundation was a remarkable achievement in my life. Read More

#77
Internship by Ms. Urvi Jinsiwale, Jindal Global Law School, Deli-NCR.

My experience interning at MOHAN Foundation (Mumbai) was very positive and informative. My internship was from 17th of December 2018 to 14th of January 2019. As a law student most of the times we are expected to focus only on the legal aspects of issues. Working here gave me a new perspective to not just take in account the legal aspects but also the ethical aspects. Working at the NGO gave me an opportunity to study about the recent developments that have occurred in the field of organ donation, it also shed a light on the loopholes that are present in the existing law related to organ retrieval with respect to brain death.

My supervisors were very courteous and polite, they were always ready to help and guide me to perform the assigned task efficiently. I would sincerely like to thank Jaya Jayram Ma’am and Dr Jimmy Gupta for giving me the opportunity to intern at MOHAN Foundation (Mumbai). Read More

#78
Internship by Mr. Albin Augustin, School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

I Albin Augustin extremely feel proud to say that I had a very fruitful and innovative short time of internship in MOHAN Foundation Chennai. Within a short span of three weeks, I got the opportunity to learn much more than what I expected. It was a time of learning and leisure. I realized that the activities were very scheduled and I had the opportunities to learn from the very basic level of the foundation. I could learn about the starting of the foundation, its mission and objectives, activities done, etc. I also learned about the different laws, transplant coordinators tasks, etc.

I also got the chance to participate and conduct the organ donation public awareness survey among the auto drivers in different parts of Chennai and participate in an organ donation public awareness campaign among the bank officials.

Within a short time I learnt different software like use of excel sheets, data analysis, and a little about tableau and about the key aspects of report making. I also understood the different types of research methodology, and preparing of questionnaires. I had unlimited access to the library and could read and refer few books for my research purpose; special thanks to Ann mam. I also take this opportunity to mention my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Hemal and Iswarya mam for their guidance and support in my research work, without whom my research work would not have been successful.

I got the maximum support for my research work from the entire faculty from the institution. I also got the chance to interact with few transplant coordinators and could know their experience in their work field. It was very good experience to listening to the talk of Mr. Pramod Mahajan, who is currently in his 100 days all India bike ride on the awareness on organ donation.

Gratitude is the expression of a happy soul, so I take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported me during this time. First of all let me thank Dr. Hemal and Ms. Ishwarya for their energetic and vibrating support and guidance in making my internship successful. I also thank Mr. Siva, for his brotherly support and guidance. I must also thank the rest of the Chennai staff for their support and helping hand. A special thanks to Dr. Sunil Shroff, for giving me this wonderful opportunity and I admire his energy and vigor in working for the social cause for the betterment of humanity.

I shall never forget the wonderful smile on the faces of everyone here in the office; you just gave me a feeling of homecoming, and I never felt away from home (this opened for me to interact and be friendly with everyone) I wish that you may all cherish this positive quality for lifelong and may keep everyone in ease.

I also express my desire and willingness in continuing in this field in my future. Read More

#79
Internship by Mr. Arun Jose, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

The two months internship program at MOHAN Foundation was a great experience which helped to gain a good exposure in the field of Organ Donation. I was not much aware about organ donation before I came into MOHAN Foundation for internship. This was a chance to meet some great personalities and to know more about the concept related to organ donation. Organ donation is not a simple concept which can be taught easily as other medical fields. The contents are much is broader and wider and it needs an expelled mind for involving into it.

MOHAN Foundation is doing great job for the past twenty years in this field. The idea in bringing the young people towards organ donation is a great initiative. It was my pleasure to be a part of that for the past two months. It helped me to study more about organ donation, taught me how to face the public, study about the transplant coordinator and their duties.

A clear plan was developed by the MOHAN Foundation team which helped me move in a systematic manner. The activities and study for me were clearly defined at all the time. Practical exposures were also gained during this two month program. I got the chance to assist many awareness programs which delivers a good pack knowledge and experience.

One thing which I would like to suggest is that of starting a campaign not only dealing with Organ donation but also talking about not to be an Organ Recipient. Promoting and creating organ donors can also be done by approaching to the public with a wording of “Be an Organ Donor, Not an Organ Recipient”. This is only opinion which I have noticed through my two month program.

I would like to thank the whole MOHAN Foundation team especially Dr. Hemal Kanvinde, Mr. T. S. Siva Shankar and Ms. Ishwarya for encouragement, support and guidance. I also thank Dr. Sunil Shroff for providing the opportunity to be a part of MOHAN Foundation for two months. Read More

#80
Internship by Ms. Kaviya Palinivel, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. Two-month internship in MOHAN Foundation was very useful for me. Practical experience was the best part in it. A skill such as multitasking, communicating, learning to deal with diversity and dealing with deadlines was a challenging part for me in MOHAN Foundation. I thought internship will be a fun time and there will be no work. But after coming here, I realized that the work of intern is totally different and there is a separate schedule are prepared for all the interns before they come here. First of all, I am thankful to the senior staff for guiding and teaching me how to do that kind of works and correcting all the mistakes. The colleagues in MOHAN Foundation were very good and friendly to me.

The best thing I inculcated from MOHAN Foundation was how to interact with the huge number of people without any fear. Now I completely understand about the roles and duties of organ transplant coordinator and I can confidently share to anyone about organ donation to anyone.

I have learned to work well as a team and without my counterparts that work would not get done. Open communication was one of the strongest and most apparent skills that I learned during my internship. I know this will help me when looking for jobs and needing references. I learned more than I expected.

As a whole I believe that this internship was successful in furthering my career. Read More

#81
Internship by Mr. Amal Antony Augustian, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 months of internship training at MOHAN Foundation. I know this period of training at your organization will help when I am looking for jobs and needing references. In the first week, it was too difficult for me, but now I am happy that this internship is a required as a part of the curriculum and area of my subject. As my internship draws to a close, I am able to reflect back on all I have learned and truly thank MOHAN Foundation and Madras Medical Mission for granting this wide opportunity to handle different types of tasks that includes organising and conducting awareness talks, spreading the message of organ donation to the public, being a volunteer and supporting to increase the rate of organ donation, organizing stalls, handling system works at the office and how to cope up with real situations and problems.

I developed skills such as multi-tasking, communicating, creative thinking, learning to deal with diversity and dealing with punctuality and deadlines, working for a social cause in a responsible organization rather than not yourself as you do in college.

And finally, I take the opportunity to thank MOHAN Foundation and Dr. Hemal Kanvinde (my guide and Quality Assurance Officer) for supporting and guiding me throughout the period of training. Read More

#82
Internship by Ms. Hepzibah Synthiah David, Madras Medical Mission College of Health Sciences, Chennai.

Okay! I just can’t believe that I am in the last day of my internship at MOHAN Foundation. Before I get into the experience and things I learnt from this organization I would like to recollect a small memory which flashes through my mind. I still remember the first day when I stepped into this organization with complete nervousness and hesitation, this being my first work atmosphere. I found that everything was very systematic and well planned. I remember the first day I met Dr. Hemal, she greeted me with a warm welcome and straight asked for my mail ID.

She sent me a mail where there was a complete scheduling of what must be done for a whole month. My brains said, Synthiah get ready for the battle! And yes it gradually started. So the things I learnt are - Social conversations, Presentation techniques and public speaking, Word Document formatting and design, Marketing, Event organizing and planning, Survey formats & data analysis, Report writing skills and Management skills

So then now these were the major learning that I learnt, overall it was an amazing experience the working atmosphere, hospitality and time which each and every staff spent to teach me things in a better manner is something which I have to be grateful about. Thank you so much for moulding me into a better skilled person, I didn’t write any negative comments because all I had was a positive journey. Read More

#83
Internship by Mr. Diego Vallejo Riofrio, Universidad de Navarra, Spain.

My experience in India and in MOHAN foundation this summer has undoubtedly been one of the most gratifying memories of my life. During the year, while I was searching for an internship for the summer and I came across MOHAN foundation online, its webpage, stories and activities left me astonished. The impact this NGO had in Indian society motivated me to apply, and later on, accept spending my summer in India working on an Economics Research project with Dr. Shroff under the guidance of Dr. Hemal Kanvinde.

As an economics student, one does not expect to work directly with the medical sector. However, this has made me able to understand the importance of health in society and how economics has a major role in its function. Because of this fact, I can state that I am now more interested than ever in Health Economics. Furthermore, an important aspect which I have not addressed before, was organ donation in general. As such an important topic for every family and society, I am now more aware of what surrounds this topic and therefore, I am able to continue with MOHAN foundation’s goal of spreading awareness.

At first, when one arrives in India, the natural reaction is fascination with the spirituality of people, the hospitality, and the food! My experience was invaluable because in this office I have never expected such a warm welcome. Although I was so far away from home, I always felt home, and this permitted me to learn even more than expected. Read More

#84
Internship by Ms. Sharmila Palin, KCTBS, Coimbatore.

Hi, I’m Sharmila Palin, I’m doing my MBA in Business Analytics at KCTBS, Coimbatore. I did my data analytics internship in MOHAN Foundation. I was just randomly applying for my academic internships in online, it’s always been my dream to work for social cause and so the internship in MOHAN Foundation interested me. The first three days in MOHAN Foundation was like boring because they asked me to read and learn about organ donation concepts. You know reading about topics which is totally unrelated to you will really bore you and that’s what happened to me. But when I went for my first campaign to NSS camp in Kanchipuram and explaining the concepts of organ donation and its importance, got my involvement in this internship job. The learning during those three days helped me to understand things while I was in the campaigns; it helped me understand things better.

After that I was working on TABLEAU which is the data visualization software. I was making maps on the donor registry for the year 2014 to 2017. I came as a Tableau beginner and now I’m leaving as a Tableau intermediate. It’s all because of the people in MOHAN Foundation who constantly supported and encouraged me to learn things inside and outside the organisation. MOHAN Foundation is one of the best places to learn the basic skills. I have attended three campaigns on organ donation and assisted as a trainer in two Angels of Change volunteer programs. The people in MF encouraged me in all possible ways. There have been many learning opportunities during my internship. Each and everyone have their contribution of encouraging me. Everything happened within two months, time ran so fast, I’m going to miss all the people and the days I spent here.

More than anything I’m thankful and grateful to the organisation. I would like to thank Dr. Sunil Shroff for accepting all my works and efforts and my special thanks to Dr. Hemal Kanvinde who took care of me, who taught me, who encouraged me to learn new skills I didn’t know I could develop, who pushed me to better myself during the days in MF. And thanks to all my friends in MF who made my days fun here. I promise that I will be supporting and find all possible ways to spread the awareness on organ donation. Read More

#85
Internship by Ms. Nimisha Papineni, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry.

I am a student of Pondicherry University pursuing II year integrated MSc Statistics. I joined MOHAN Foundation as an intern for 35 days from mid-May to mid-June of 2018. During my internship I worked on a survey conducted on 400 police officials of Tamil Nadu and analysed the basic demographic features of the respondents. I was involved in public and police awareness programs, creation of data bases, translations, public surveys and data analysis and visualisation.
During this internship I learned how to work practically with statistics,cleaning data using software like SPSS,tableau, excel etc,I had done some cartoon translations on organ Donation. Conducting surveys gave me a glimpse of how the public views organ donation.

Coming to the work environment it was encouraging and very friendly. An intern is given full freedom to express their ideas and they guide accordingly.Their encouragement created lot more interest in me to do creative things for awareness Organ Donation. I extend my support to MOHAN Foundation in future whenever needed,for creating awareness in public and to increase number of Organ Donation. Read More

#86
Internship by Mr. Britzer Paul V, JIPMER, Pondicherry.

I am a Physician Assistant with two years of experience in the department of hepatology and liver transplantation from Gleneagles Global Hospital, Chennai. Now I am a student of Masters in Public Health in JIPMER.
Paul through his internship and association with MOHAN Foundation received funding for a 3 year PhD from University of Bedfordshire...https://www.beds.ac. uk/news/2018/november/university-research-to-improve-organ-donation-rates-in-india
I joined MOHAN Foundation as an intern for 4 months in 2018. During my internship I worked on a twenty one year survey data and analyzed how the knowledge and attitude have changed over the period of time. The research paper is also being submitted based on this work. The second study that I conducted was among the families who opted not to donate the organs of their brain dead family member. This study was useful to identify, overcome certain barriers and improve processes of organ donation. The third study was to explore the opportunities and challenges faced by the transplant coordinators in organ donation process. Understanding the mindset of new as well as senior transplant coordinators will help in strengthening the organ donation process and thereby to increase the consent rate.

Other than my research collaboration, I was involved in ten awareness campaigns conducted among the various colleges in Chennai, hospitals and NCC cadets. I framed English lessons for school students on organ donation, lessons on organ donation for nursing students and also a lesson for the role of medical social workers in organ donation. I studied the protocol for the formation of IEC for MOHAN Foundation. I had the opportunity to meet MOHAN Foundation teams from different parts of the country. This gave me a vision of how people from different part of the country work towards organ donation.

Above all the working environment was friendly for an intern. An intern is given full freedom to carry out their own independent research. The staff in the organization are approachable both personally and even through email. Their guidance enriched my independent research. MOHAN Foundation has a wide and strong network with professionals working towards ethical organ donation and are open to sharing their links to develop ourselves. They work with full enthusiasm and care.

Though my internship had come to an end. I would like to give my support in future to the MOHAN Foundation towards the improvement in organ donation. Read More

#87
Internship by Mr. Atul Sagaya Dorai Prem, Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship, Chennai.

There is no doubt that MOHAN Foundation is one of the best NGOs in India which works for Organ donation awareness. For the past twenty days with them, I experienced on how even small things could be done professionally. Bureaucracy is minimum and ambitious youngsters would love to work and grow with it.

Fortunately, I along with other staff had the opportunity to organize the Rangoli event “Rangoli festival at the metro” for the NGO. It was led by Dr. Hemal and team. It was an absolute pleasure when we had complete support from our Managing Trustee, Dr. Sunil Shroff and our Country Director, Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram at the time of organizing the event.
I was able to understand the value of a donation when I conducted an online research for celebrity recipients. I read about many cases where patients used their second chance to reach greater heights in their professions. I analysed the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissue Rules 2015 and simplified them for the users.

Now, thanks to MOHAN foundation, I have the confidence to conduct Public campaigns, present PPT’s, and so on flawlessly.

The determination of the staff here when they work will say it all. 100% efforts by their employees help them to remain at the top in their field of work. I would definitely love to work with MOHAN foundation in the free time I get.   Read More

#88
Internship by Ms. Anjali Aryamvally, SRM University, Chennai.

When I decided to intern with MOHAN Foundation, my support for the cause of organ donation was the only reason. My internship at MF has allowed me to meet people from all walks of life with a strong commitment towards the work that they do. The three months that I spent here was not just knowledgeable but I was also able to witness the extensive amount of work that goes behind making organ donation more acceptable among the public. Today, I not only support the cause but understand the importance of organ donation in today's day and time.

I would like to thank the entire team at MOHAN Foundation for all their help, warmth and support. I came as a stranger but I leave as a member of the MOHAN Foundation family. Read More

#89
Internship by Ms. Sridivya, Srimad Andavan Arts & Science College, Trichy.

As a Social work trainee, I learnt more details about Organ Donation. Same time enjoyed well to work with this team. It gave a new experience to me. I worked here independently. No one forced me to work. But all gave guidance to work with calmness.

Very first day of my internship, I didn’t know what to do. I was totally confused and came here only for getting my marks. But from second day, I started loving the work and felt comfortable to work. I now know more details about Brain death and Organ Donation.
When I came here, I don’t know that the difference between Organ Donation and Body Donation, as well Brain death and Vegetative state. But now I knew very well about it. In my home town Trichy, no one will speak in English. Though I can understand well, yet I was nervous to talk in English. This nervousness is reduced.

I had to check the online version of the Indian Transplant Newsletter. This helped a lot to learn about the earlier work of MOHAN Foundation as well as some new Medical Terms. I went for two awareness programs on Organ Donation, one at Anna University and the other at Tata Consultancy Service (TCS, Thoraipakkam). At TCS, MOHAN Foundation gave me the opportunity to speak about Brain Death. It was a new feeling to me. This exposure will help to reduce my nervousness to talk in public. When I joined I did not know that I have the capacity to translate passages from English to Tamil. I learnt the skill of translation. I got more knowledge and learned some new Tamil words and English words also. I translated the Nurses Training Booklet from English to Tamil. The internship also made me learn the skill of Tamil typing, which I really I didn’t know well. Now I can type well in Tamil.

Then really amazing thing that I had the opportunity to write a Story about Heart Transplantation (Soul mate) to publish in magazines, though I don’t know how much it will work. It was an opportunity to think well about the theme and write story. I got the opportunity to attend an Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (ISOT - Midterm Meeting) Conference. I helped in the organization as well in the reporting during the conference. I gained more knowledge about Organ Transplantation and Law of Organ Donation. It was an Asian conference, so it helped me to collect more details about organ donation procedure in other countries like China, Iran, Srilanka, Nepal, Australia & Bangladesh.

At MOHAN Foundation, we can meet the higher authorities with ease and discuss any matter. All transplant coordinators were very helpful and made me a part of their team. They took time to go through all my outputs and corrected them. Seriously I say it from my heart. Really I enjoyed to work here and again I will return in May with a few classmates for Transplant Coordinators Training Programme. Read More

#90
Internship by Mr. Anubhav A Kediaa, Anna University, Chennai.

My experience at MF was very valuable and enjoyable. Working with the dedicated team at MF was a very uplifting experience and I feel very blessed to have gotten an opportunity to work for MF and contribute to the noble cause that they serve.

#91
Internship by Ms. Shweta Gupta, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.

I had been in MOHAN Foundation for very short period of time. To work with the foundation was a very valuable experience for me. I worked on creating an awareness video on a sensitive issue - organ donation. This work was related to my master thesis project in IIT Guwahati and I am glad to spread this awareness through MOHAN Foundation. I feel very grateful to work for this noble cause with an energetic team. Thank you!

Click here to watch Live Beyond Life by Shweta Gupta

#92
Internship by Ms. Susmitha, SRM University, Chennai.

My summer internship with MOHAN Foundation has been an invaluable experience. I have been challenged and pushed during my time here, which has made me a better public health professional. I feel that my work here has been extremely meaningful and my inputs are valued. I am grateful to work with such seasoned professionals in the fields of public health and development, and because of them, my time here has truly been inspiring. I would absolutely recommend working with MOHAN Foundation and would be thrilled to come back and work with this amazing organization again. My only regret is that I couldn’t stay longer. Read More

#93
Internship by Ms. Karen De Looze, Brussels University, Belgium.

I first met Dr. Shroff of MOHAN Foundation in April 2009. I found my way to the office after having explored the entire MOHAN Foundation website that left a big impression on me. I was received with the best of hospitality, and together we looked at ways to cooperate.

Since I am a PhD researcher working for Brussels University working on the topic of brain death and cadaveric organ transfer in India, linking up with MOHAN Foundation just seemed like the right thing to do. Not just did it seem so, it was! The atmosphere at MOHAN Foundation is very gentle and light, notwithstanding the fact that the employees are performing one of the most difficult jobs with great enthusiasm investing all manpower with grace.
Although my field study also requires that I travel to Vrindavan and Varanasi, returning to the MOHAN Foundation office in Chennai regularly always feels like coming home. I feel like working with MOHAN Foundation is like being part of a family where the family ties are the service that is delivered to society at large. I could even enjoy a short visit to MOHAN Foundation in Hyderabad and felt that same bond, of people being united in a joint cause, triggered by loving feelings for the community.

I have been working with MOHAN Foundation ever since that day in April, and my field research will continue until February 2011. I am most certain that I will be sad to end my stay here in Chennai and in extension India, but then again, our cooperation to deliver service to humanity never will.

Click Here to View The Research Article Published in National Medical Journal of India by Karen De Looze During Her Internship Read More

#94
Internship by Organ donation in India - Impressions from Mieke van Kollenburg, Holland.

I am a Dutch student in Health information. On the 18th of May, I stepped into a plane full of Indians, leaving for Hyderabad to work in MOHAN Foundation for a period of four months. This internship would constitute the last part of my study. Now, almost at the end of my stay here, I have the feeling that I know the organ donation world in India almost from top to toe.

In the past months, I have been participating in all of MOHAN Foundation’s activities, like giving presentations, distributing information brochures, creating awareness in street campaigns, etcetera. At the same time, I interviewed all kinds of people that are involved in organ donation, like transplant coordinators and patients that received an organ themselves. Furthermore I did a small survey on the awareness on organ donation among the public.
Due to this research I found out quite a few interesting things about organ donation in India. First of all, eye donation is pretty well known now. This procedure had been carried out for some decades now and has become quite common. But more than half of the people are not aware of the concept of organ donation yet. Brain death, which is the condition for organs to be taken out, is known by even fewer people. On the other hand, after explanation of the concepts of organ donation and brain death most people are very positive about it. After asking the question whether they would be willing to donate their own organs after their death, more than 80% answered this question with yes.

Despite this willingness to donate, far too few organs become available for patients suffering from end stage organ failure. If it’s not the people that refuse to donate, the problem has to lie somewhere else. I experienced that one of the hurdles is the attitude of the hospitals to declare brain death and maintain a brain dead patient. They don’t have a focus on this, because they prefer to provide the bed to another person or are afraid of a scandal (as still organ donation has a bad name in India) and ruin the good name of the hospital. However, at least six people can be saved from this brain dead person!

That’s why I think two things are very important to be done. One thing is to educate the public about organ donation and brain death, and make them aware of the fact that in cadaveric organ donation no trading takes place. Once they are aware of the possibility of organ donation in case of brain death, they will come forward for donation themselves. This would be encouraging to doctors who might then be more willing to make a request for organ donation in other such cases. The other thing is to convince hospitals that it’s important to declare brain death as a standard procedure because so many lives can be saved by the transplants.

And finally, it would be very desirable that the government raises some funds to help people in getting enough resources for the transplant. Currently, no social welfare system is there in India, and as a result poor people can never bear the costs of a transplant. Contradictorily, especially the less wealthy give consent to donate far more often than the richest of society.

In brief, I think there is a long way to go, but at least MOHAN Foundation is doing an excellent job and they are on the right track towards saving many lives of suffering people in India.

Mieke van Kollenburg
Intern in MOHAN Foundation Hyderabad

Click here to view Plan of Mieke's Internship at MOHAN Foundation   Read More

#95
Internship by Ms. Nora Pernesch, Aarhus University, Denmark.

My time here at MOHAN Foundation really was an invaluable experience in many aspects. As part of my master studies in Human Security I came here as a research intern on the topic of public trust in organ donation. What seemed to be a just a study internship turned out to be so much more. The people here at the foundation are really supportive and open-minded. In the beginning of course the Indian way of working and doing things can be quite challenging but with time I learned to go with the flow and would even say that my way of approaching things might have changed a little. Coming to India one simply has to be open to let go of his or her customs of organizing things and embrace flexibility. It will definitely pay out and I enjoyed the independence that I was given in pursuing my study.
During my 4-months internship here I got the opportunity to participate in a lot of activities, including the organization of a big national conference, online marketing activities, educational programs, reviewing papers and even presenting an abstract at a national transplant coordinators meeting. My main focus however was on conducting interviews with various experts as well as families of deceased organ donors on the topic of public trust and their experience with the organ donation system in Tamil Nadu. MOHAN Foundation was extremely accommodating and helpful regarding the arrangement of contacts and scheduling appointments for the interviews and also they had a thorough eye on my personal and academic opportunities and development during and even after my stay here.

Besides Chennai city I have also traveled to several places in Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore and Trichy as well as several villages and places in Chennai surroundings always accompanied by at least one MOHAN employee. Through the interviews I got a very multifaceted impression about organ donation in Tamil Nadu and what it is that makes Tamil Nadu leading the way in deceased organ donation, such as the transparency of the allocation, trustworthiness of the doctors and health personnel as well as the vast government support. Still there are some challenges, like access to the treatment for all people, education and awareness about both organ donation itself and especially brain death, and myths about organ commercialism or incompatibility of organ donation and religious belief. For sure I have gained a lot of valuable knowledge based on which I am going to write my master thesis the coming six months.

I really value my time here at the foundation and am very thankful to each and everyone who has made the experience so special to my personal and professional development.
4TH ELPAT CONGRESS in ROME - Reflections of an Intern Attending the Conference   Read More