By: Xolani Khumalo
Transplant Education for Living Legacies (TELL) is drawing attention to the plight of children living with chronic kidney disease, as South Africa marks Kidney Awareness Week.
The organisation highlights the urgent need for organ donation in the country, which continues to have one of the lowest donor rates globally. According to TELL, this ongoing shortage significantly affects both adults and children in need of life-saving transplants.
Stella de Kock, TELL’s managing director, says Kidney Awareness Week is a vital opportunity to promote early detection of kidney disease, encourage families to talk about organ donation, and raise awareness around the option of living donation. This refers to a situation where a healthy person donates a kidney to someone whose kidneys are failing.
More than 8,000 South Africans are currently waiting for organ transplants, including at least 40 children. Many of these young patients depend on dialysis to survive and often face long waits due to the limited availability of suitable donors.
