About DONATE LIFE
‘What We Have Is Material, What We Do Stays Forever’
Donate Life is a non-profit organization, dedicated to raising awareness about cadaver organ donation. Its mission is to educate the families of brain dead individuals about the importance of organ donation and encourage them to donate organs to give new life to patients suffering from organ failure.
Under the leadership of Mr. Nilesh Mandlewala who has dedicated his life to this cause since 2005 and with the support of other founder trustees, it has been our constant endeavour to contribute to the best abilities to this noble initiative.
There are over 20 lakh patients waiting for a kidney transplant in India – 2 lakh being added to that number every year. The number for various other organs like liver, pancreas, heart, lungs, intestine, hands, cornea are equally shocking. This worrisome situation has strengthened our resolve to save as many lives as we can.
As of Today, we at Donate Life have procured 549 Kidneys, 238 Livers, 9 Pancreas, 57 Hearts, 52 Lungs, 8 Hands & 438 Cornea, and a total of 1352 Organs and Tissue donations which gave new lease of life and vision to 1247 organ failure patients in our country and globe.
Donate Life has and is doing wide-range of efforts to spread awareness about organ donation.
We create 360-degree awareness through:
- Organising talk shows in schools & colleges
- Conducting seminars & exhibitions to create more awareness
- Stage street plays to attract public attention
- Spreading awareness during various festivals throughout the year
- Walkathons for the cause of organ donation
- We request various spiritual leaders to help spread awareness about organ donation to their followers.
- We use mediums of radio, television and all kinds of media to promote awareness for the noble cause of organ donation
Our founder Nilesh Mandlewala’s creative approach to raising awareness about organ donation, we compose a song, Angdaan Karle Re Maanav Tu Ishvar Ban Jayega, and produce a short film, KAAYA – THE MISSION OF LIFE. The song and film aim to convey the importance of organ donation and the impact it can have on saving lives. By leveraging creative mediums like music and film, Donate Life has successfully reached a wider audience and inspired more people to consider organ donation. This short film has received recognition in national and international short film festivals.
Donate Life has successfully leveraged digital platforms to highlight the impact of organ donation on recipients, donors, and their families to raise awareness about cadaveric organ donations, reaching an impressive more than 100 million people.
Donate Life’s efforts have been instrumental in facilitating the organ donation process, even in complex medico-legal cases that require post-mortem examinations. Our collaboration with government hospitals has helped conduct post-mortem procedures, even in the middle of the night.
Donate Life’s support extends far beyond the organ donation process. We also assists in obtaining police clearances (NOC) and ensures the dignified transportation of the donor’s body back to their hometown. Moreover, we provides emotional support to the grieving family, standing by them through the entire process, including the last rites and participating in traditional processes like “Besna” and “Barhavi”.
Donate Life also takes the responsibility of the education of the children of brain-dead patients who belong to economically weaker sections of the society.
The cadaveric organ donation movement, which our founder Nilesh Mandlewala began with kidney donation in 2006, has indeed paved the way for the donation of other vital organs and tissues, including Liver, Pancreas, Heart, Lungs, Hands, Intestine, Bones.
Donate Life selfless work, guided by the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” has made a profound impact on the lives of countless individuals and families. The numbers speak for themselves, 1352 successful organ and tissue donations have been facilitated through 1247 organ failure patients have received a new lease of life.
During the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, they continued to work tirelessly, when organ donation rates had declined in India, Donate Life, under Nilesh Mandlewala’s leadership, achieved an remarkable feat, 203 organs and tissues were donated, 182 lives were transformed through successful transplants.
Donate Life has been instrumental in achieving several notable firsts in Gujarat, India and Globally under Nilesh Mandlewala’s leadership, these achievements showcase the progress and advancements made in organ donation and transplantation in the State of Gujarat. Here’s a formatted list,
- 2006: Gujarat’s first intercity cadaver kidney donation, first cadaveric liver donation and first pediatric kidney donation were all done from Surat.
- 2015: Gujarat’s first heart donation was done from Surat.
- 2016: Gujarat’s first bones donation was done from Surat.
- 2017: First ever cadaver organ donation from a Government Hospital in Gujarat was done from Surat New Civil Hospital.
- 2017: India’s youngest toddler’s heart donation was done from Surat.
- 2019: Gujarat’s first lungs donation was done from Surat.
- 2020: India’s youngest child’s multiple organ donation was done from Surat.
- 2021: First time in Gujarat 13 organs and tissues were donated in a single day from one hospital.
- 2021: India’s youngest boy’s both hands donation was done from Surat.
- 2024: World’s youngest girl’s hand donation was done from Surat.
Over the past two decades Donate Life’s efforts under the leadership of Nilesh Mandlewala have led to a remarkable transformation in Gujarat’s transplantation landscape. Some key achievements include:
- Establishment of 100 organ retrieval hospitals registered with SOTTO and NOTTO, up from zero in 2005.
- Expansion of transplant hospitals from a few kidney transplant centers to more than 30 registered hospitals performing kidney, liver, pancreas, heart, lungs and hands transplants.
- Broadening of transplant services beyond kidney transplants to include pancreas, liver, heart, lung, and uterus transplants.
- Organ donation at Surat Civil Hospital in Gujarat began in 2017, and at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, it started in 2021.
- Development of Surat as a transplantation hub, with kidney transplants starting in 2020, liver transplants in 2021, heart transplants in 2022, hands and lungs transplants in 2025.
These milestones demonstrate the pioneering work of Nilesh Mandlewala and Donate Life team in promoting organ donation and transplantation in Gujarat, making it a model for other states to follow.
Donate Life’s vision and mission is to ensure that no one dies due to the non-availability of organs by 2047, India’s century of Independence.