CAHN is delighted to be working in partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant to raise awareness of organ donation in the Caribbean and African community across Greater Manchester. Currently, there is a limited amount of tailored, targeted cultural and religious information of organ donation and transplant for the Black Community. This lack of information includes the perceived or assumed cultural and religious barriers to organ donation. The lack of appropriate information for the Black community results in limited participation and low levels of engagement in the practices of giving organs and consenting to transplant on the death of a loved one. In addition, there is still mistrust in the medical profession from within the black community leading to further disengagement. In order to change this level of participation and engagement, there needs to be a plan to develop the health literacy of faith and community leaders, and to utilise champions with lived experiences. This project seeks to encourage debate and discussion with the ultimate goal of achieving greater engagement in the process and practices associated with organ and transplant donation. 

The objectives of Precious Life Savers are to:

1. Raise awareness of the organ donation
2. Recruit potential donors who would sign up to the Organ Donor Register (ODR)
3. Engage with faith leaders to discuss overcoming barriers to organ donation
4. Collate any concerns about the proposed change in organ legislation
5. Recruit champions to maintain and promote the awareness of organ donation. Precious Life Savers seeks to implement faith-based outreach programmes to promote a shift in behaviour and attitudes towards blood and organ and transplantation and increase consent of deceased loved ones.

Sign up today – https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/preciouslifesavers

Working with Churches

Research indicates the importance and effectiveness of health prevention and health promotion interventions in faith-based organisations. Faith leaders are deemed to be instrumental in motivating others in church congregations to take more responsibility for their health. Faith leaders will therefore be the catalyst for behaviour and attitude change through heightened health literacy workshops linking this to biblical theology. Faith leaders will provide safe spaces for the conversations about organ donation in order to attract congregants.  We are engaging African Pastors followed by visits to a number of Black majority churches. The goal is to recruit more Black donors thereby increasing the number of ethnic matched donor transplant recipients to increase survival rates and hence better outcomes for those requiring transplant. Professional SupportWe are pleased to have Specialist Nurses for Organ Donation SNODs) working with church leaders and the wider community to develop trust. Resources will be developed to increase knowledge across the community through the creation of a culturally sensitive information that increases awareness and benefits of organ donation. Resources are available to support the training of champions/advocates with lived experience of donor families and organ recipients. 

To request a visit to your church/organisation/group or further information about getting involved please contact Charles on organdonation@cahn.org.uk or 07575 579377.