Evonne Toh Jie Xi, 15

School: Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)

Topic: An email to the Head of CCA on an organ donation awareness project

Award: High Distinction, Senior Category, 2023

Dear Mr Tan,

I hope this email finds you well. I am Evonne Toh, the chairperson of the project to raise awareness on organ donation in school. In this email, I will be sharing with you the project plan that the CCA leaders have collectively came up with, as well as some of my personal reflections regarding this project.

Our project plan is for the school to commemorate World Organ Donation Day, on August 13th. The school day can be filled with activities that promote organ donation, organised and carried out by the various CCAs. We propose three main activities: a panel discussion, a short skit, and a T-shirt design competition.

For the panel discussion, the English Club hopes to reach out to a speaker from HOTA (Human Organ Transplant Act), a donor family member, as well as an organ recipient, to share their various perspectives on organ donation, and how it has impacted their lives. Through the sensitively moderated panel discussion, students can develop critical thinking skills as they explore more about the rarely brought up topic of organ donation.

In the organ donation skit, the Drama Society, along with the help of the Infocom Club, plans to portray a young girl who is in need of a cornea transplant due to an eye disease. The engaging skit portrays the girl missing out on activities such as playing and schooling that a normal child should be able to partake in, as well as the hope that an organ donation would give to the girl. Through the heartwarming skit, students will be able to empathise better with people with organ failures, as well as feel the dreams an organ donation realises for others.

Lastly, the Art club has come up with a T-shirt design contest, where students can use materials like markers, paints, and collage paper, to decorate a plain white T-shirt with the theme of ‘My Organ, My Tree of Life’. After decorating their T-shirt, students will be allowed to wear their T-shirt to school on organ donation day. Prizes will be awarded to students with the best designs, which encourages students to actively take part in the competition. Through this activity, students get a chance to exercise their creativity and have fun through design, as well as explore the importance of an organ.

Through the process of organising this project, I feel that I have grown a lot in terms of leadership skills. By communicating efficiently with other CCA leaders and assigning tasks fairly, we managed to complete this project successfully with no complications. I also learnt how to lead a team in discussing sensitive topics like organ donation by being careful and empathetic with speech. Needless to say, I have also learnt a lot about organ donation, and the importance of it through my involvement in this project.

I think raising awareness amongst students in schools is of utmost importance, not just on a small scale, but rather, these school efforts build towards the good of a larger community. Organ donation is a topic that is rarely discussed amongst youths. To many, organ donation is just another story, not something that can be experienced in real life. Not many people understand, and can fully empathise with the despair and suffering that people in need of an organ transplant face.

According to the Ministry of Health, in 2021, there were 1,215 patients on the waiting list for an organ transplant in Singapore, but only 208 transplant procedures were performed. People typically wait several years for an organ, in a cold and dark hospital, for a glimpse of light and hope, so that they can carry on with their lives. An organ that so many people take for granted, could mean the world to them.

I think that the main reason organ donation is scarce is because few people understand the seriousness of organ failures, and the tangibility of it. A change is needed in our society, and this change can be started by raising awareness and educating our youths on the importance of organ donation in schools. Through stories, sharings, and films, students get a glimpse of the endless amount of hope an organ donation blesses to not just the recipient, but also their family members, who are stuck in feelings of despair and doom. A collective effort across various schools helps to dispel the negative stigma surrounding organ donation, clear misconceptions, and promote organ donation in communities with a conservative culture such as Singapore.

Students are the next generation of our society, and raising awareness on organ donation will ignite a hopeful change in our society. With more people spreading kindness through organ donation, it will bless a second lease of life to many more people, reducing the death rate due to organ failures.

I strongly think that raising awareness on organ donation is incredibly important, not just to our student body, but also to our society. We hope to receive feedback from you regarding our project plan so that we may proceed with the execution of our project. Thank you for your time and support.

Warmest Regards,
Evonne Toh

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2023 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health). To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg