Fez Launches 3rd 'I Am a Donor' Organ Donation Drive

The Rahma Association for Kidney Failure launched on Saturday in Fez, in partnership with the Fes-Meknes Regional Health Group, the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry of Fez, and the Issaad Association, the third edition of the national organ and tissue donation awareness campaign "I Am a Donor," which runs over four weeks until November 17.

Field activities and a digital campaign

The launch event included an awareness play titled "Pulse," presentations on the state of organ donation in Morocco, testimonies from transplant patients and others still waiting for a donor, and an open discussion with attendees. The campaign also includes awareness activities at the Faculty of Medicine, the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques, and the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez, alongside a digital and media campaign across social media and the press, and a planned public survey to gauge citizens' concerns and adapt awareness activities accordingly.

Kidney transplants, the reference treatment

Tarek Sekkali Hassouni, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry of Fez, said donation is essential for transplants, explaining that kidney transplantation is the reference treatment for kidney failure because it offers a better quality of life, a longer lifespan and a lower cost in the long run compared with dialysis, though its success depends on donor availability. Khalid Sneiter, representing the Fes-Meknes Regional Health Group, said the gathering aims to produce recommendations to strengthen the group's strategy, particularly in raising awareness among healthcare professionals and building technical capacity for donation, calling for closer cooperation between health workers and associations.

Why donation matters

Yassine Alami, president of the Rahma Association, said the campaign rests on two complementary pillars: field activities and a digital and media campaign, aimed at dispelling fears and correcting misconceptions about organ and tissue donation, and presenting it as an act of solidarity that gives hope to patients awaiting a life-saving transplant. The organizing associations intend to broaden the discussion to the medical and legal aspects of donation, with a view to building a wider societal culture around the issue in Fez and the Fes-Meknes region.