TELL NPO IS HERE!
Tell Founders
Various physicians, surgeons, professors, key stakeholders in the field, transplant patients, as well as media attended the Tell launch on Tuesday night (16th of October 2018)
Guests were greeted at a registration table where a delicious welcome drink was served as they were lead through to the most beautiful venue overlooking breathtaking views of the city.
Alice Vogt, Managing Director of Tell, welcomed everyone and presented a video introduction to the new brand. After the presentation, Bonnie Venter, Director Of Legal Affairs for Tell, identified obstacles contributing to the acute shortage of organ availability in the country and possible solutions which TELL hopes to provide in time.
These were as follows:
Obstacle 1: The first obstacle we face is, as a potential organ and tissue donor you can express your wishes to donate your organs by registering as a donor and possessing a donor card. However, when the time comes, your family will be approached to consent to the donation of your life-saving organs. Basically, a donor’s family has the final say and may veto the donor’s wish. If a donor’s family is not aware of his or hers wishes, then an opportunity is lost to save lives.
Solution: TELL aims to overcome the consent obstacle with our public awareness initiative of #TellYourTribe. We want to encourage potential donors to start the conversation with their family. Our hope is that when the time comes this initiative will make it easier for families to decide to donate their loved one’s organs.
Obstacle 2: The next obstacle we face is the timely identification and referral of possible organ donors. In South Africa it is not common practice to refer; referral is usually dependent on the hospital staff’s attitude and awareness towards organ donation, their workload and the availability of resources and time.
Solution: In this regard TELL aims to implement a hospital education initiative which will be known as #TellYourTeam to improve the current referral rate. Part of this initiative is to collaborate with hospital groups and transplant co-coordinators to drive this movement to become a common practice. Our long-term goal is to petition the government to support and adopt a policy of mandatory routine referrals.
Tell Founders
After Bonnie, the first speaker Critical Care Physician Dr PG Williams was introduced. He spoke about the heroes he has been exposed to in his lifetime, everyone from Neil Armstrong to Nelson Mandela. He ended by saying that organ donors as well as recipients are also heroes and that he is delighted that organizations like Tell are around to help spread organ donation awareness.
In closing, The launch was a huge success
the projects that Tell have lined up require funding and whilst they are focused on keeping the conversation around organ and tissue donation fun, the reality is they need sponsors to make these projects happen. Should you wish to get involved with assisting, please get in touch.
Alternatively you can make a direct donation using the banking details below:
Account Holder: Tell
Bank: FNB
Branch Code: 250 655
Account Number: 62300464659
Reference: Tell Donation: NAME
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