By Corey Everitt
This weekend saw the beginning of a campaign to have more multicultural communities involved in giving others a second chance in life by registering for organ donation.
As part of DonateLife Week (28 July – 4 August), Officer’s Gurdwara Siri Guru Nanak Darbar began an awareness campaign to inspire members of multicultural communities to support organ donation.
Throughout the week, efforts to inform residents of the importance of the issue will be made aiming to increase registration and support for consent.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, only 15 percent of organ donors in Australia come from culturally and linguistically diverse (Cald) communities despite being a quarter of the population.
A study from the University of Sydney found that families born overseas were less likely to give consent to organ donation compared to Australian-born families.
With factors such as cultural and religious apprehensions to lack of engagement with multicultural communities, Officer Gurdwara’s Harpreet Singh Kandra aims to overcome these barriers.
Mr Kandra was influenced to join the efforts of DonateLife Week by his father and his fellow community.
“I have been inspired by my father who has donated his body for medical research in India,” he said.
“Similar motivations have come from my community members at the Officer Gurdwara. A community volunteer and friend said, ’I am ready to donate my organs as my body will become ashes once I pass away’.
If even just proportional, organ donation stands to increase by about 10 percent in Australia with increased support from multicultural communities.
The campaign already has many on board in the bid to create local leaders of the issue.
“Our religious staff has decided to spread awareness of this cause by being role models and four of them will be signing up this week,” Mr Kandra said.
“So far, I have about 30 members of the community who have agreed to sign up for the registration this week of DonateLife.”
DonateLife Week aims to highlight the gap in organ and tissue donation in Australia.
Even though the matter has the support of four in five Australians, only approximately a third of Australians are registered donors.
There are currently around 1,800 Australians on the waitlist for an organ transplant.
You can find out more at donatelife.gov.au
