More than 3,700 primary school pupils and 300 teachers got to know the Orgamites in the first round of the program presentation

Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Naxos, Chania, Zante, Florina, Agrinio, Arachova, Chios, Rethymnon, Xanthi, Arta, and many more regions that registered for the program from all over Greece, joined the monthly online presentations and embraced the “Orgamites”.

The “Orgamites” is a unique, innovative and interactive educational program for primary school pupils (aged between 7 and 11), aimed at helping children connect with and appreciate the roles of the organs, as well as getting to know more about transplantations, this major medical achievement, thus triggering family and school discussions on the subject of organ donation.

What are the organs in our body and how do they function? What should we do in order to take care of our health? How big is our heart and which one of our organs is able to "reproduce" itself? What happens when one of our organs does not function properly? How can a physician replace this organ with a different one? Tough questions like the above become entertaining stories through the Orgamites characters. Parents, teachers and children can visit www.onassis.org and www.eom.gr and explore the main presentation, games and a new presentation with 5 super tips and tons of valuable advice for healthy kids.

This program, which started from England and has already traveled to Scotland and Canada, has now come to Greece thanks to the collaboration between the National Transplant Organization and the Onassis Foundation within the framework of the National Initiative that they have jointly undertaken, aiming at the revival of Organ Donation and Transplantation in Greece.

With a view to informing and raising awareness amongst children and parents regarding organ donation and transplantation, the Onassis Foundation has secured the introduction of the educational program “Orgamites” in Greek schools. The Orgamites became part of the Primary Healthcare Program actions and interventions of the Hellenic Ministry of Health in the school year 2021-2022, with a view to informing and raising awareness among pupils. More specifically, it was included under the Thematic Category no. 19 entitled “Promoting Organ Donation and Transplantation to children and teenagers”. Both teachers and health visitors can download the available material from the relevant website of the Ministry of Health and teach the program to children.

At the same time, monthly online presentations are organized every school year by the National Transplant Organization with the support of the Onassis Foundation, for maximum dissemination of the program. The first round has already been a huge success; the second round will begin in October 2022, with applications opening in September.