Weng Linda, 16

School: Mayflower Secondary School

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

Award: Merit, Senior Category, 2023

Dear Mr Wong,

The student leaders and I would like to express our excitement and gratitude for having this opportunity to raise awareness about such a noble cause. We believe that raising awareness for organ donation and transplantation is important as unfortunate circumstances can happen to anyone at any time. In the event that unforeseen situations afflict our loved ones, it is good that we have equipped ourselves with the knowledge about this serious matter. After much deliberation and extensive research done in the matter about organ donation and transplant, the CCA leaders and I have decided on a project that we think will help to raise awareness for this cause. We have named this project “ Project Power2Help”.

We would like to carry out this project in the form of a week long exhibition. The exhibition can be carried out in our school’s dance studio. The CCA leaders will work together with their CCA members to create infographics and posters about organ donation and transplantation to put up in the dance studio for students to read. In addition to the exhibition, we would also like to invite a medical doctor as a guest speaker to give a speech about the process of organ donation in Singapore. The talk can be held on Friday during the school’s morning assembly to educate the students more about organ donation and transplantation. A few of the student leaders and I have been in touch with medical professionals from the Ministry of Health who are willing to help educate and raise awareness for this topic. Additionally, the medical professional will be able to share first hand experiences with patients and families.

I believe that students in our school will be able to benefit from this project. This is because they will get to learn about their choices when it comes to organ donation. For example, the knowledge that all Singaporean Citizens and Permanent Residents are automatically enrolled in the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) is not known to everybody. Thus, it is important that students learn about this act to know more about how they can help to save others even after their death. Furthermore, the guest speaker will also share more about what organs can be donated by a live donor and the process of organ transplantation. This can be helpful to students as in the event that an unfortunate accident befalls their family member, they will have the knowledge on how they may be able to help save their loved one. Although students may think that they are too young to think about death and organ donation, it is never too early to consider what will happen in the event of an accident.

The student leaders and I feel that this is a very important mission. Although the topic may be disturbing to some, we feel that we have learnt a lot through planning this project. We have learnt to not take things for granted as we may not expect it when someone close to us falls ill and is in need of an organ transplant. Moreover, we have learnt important skills like note taking and research techniques to find credible information needed for this project. Getting in touch with medical professionals from a government body also helped to teach us more about communication.

I hope that you will consider allowing us to carry out “Project Power2Help”. The student leaders and I have worked hard to research about the topic and to plan the exhibition. We hope that we will be able to do our part for society and help raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation.

Yours sincerely,
Weng Linda

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