Promoting Donation Culture, Social Transformation in Mexico

Altruism is inherent to human beings. Both helping and creating instances of support are in our nature and are part of our instinct, starting with our closest family members and friends.

Providing support to those who need it most transforms people, bringing about significant changes in society and in substantial areas, such as social justice, equality, health, the environment, and education.

The challenge is to turn these actions of solidarity into an everyday part of our daily lives, forging a culture of social responsibility that spreads among the population and goes beyond supporting specific events or initiatives.

Today, there are many ways to positively impact the lives of individuals and even entire communities, whether directly with those affected, through the government or through nonprofit organizations.

However, when we choose a third party to provide our support, these means must be legal, effective, and transparent, conveying credibility to the population. In this sense, nonprofit organizations work for specific causes and objectives to provide an effective and reliable tool for the community to help those who need it most. Likewise, nonprofit organizations must be measured by their social impact.

At Be The Match®, the world’s most diverse registry of potential stem cell donors, we promote the culture of donation in Mexico and we know that it is an action of no return; that is, we do not seek to receive something for this action. We created this social transformation in search of a better country and thus meet the needs of society. In this sense, our work at Be The Match® Mexico has a profound impact, since we are talking about the life of a person; specifically of the survival of someone with a blood disease. An adult or child who needs a stem cell transplant to have a hope of life.

As an agent of social transformation, we have a specific goal, which is to find genetic matches between Mexican patients with a blood disease and potential unrelated donors in Mexico and around the world.

However, to achieve this objective we are aware that there are actions that must be carried out, such as demystifying the stem cell donation and transplantation process, to combat misinformation, both among potential donors and against different actors in society. Furthermore, to promote a culture of donation among the population as a constant act of social responsibility and to achieve effective change, there must be alliances and communication between these actors: government, which provides resources for health, private companies, where the country's economy is generated, academia, whether general or focused on health, and nonprofit organizations.

At Be The Match® Mexico, we seek and help create that connectivity, those alliances, to achieve a transcendence and help the beneficiaries of our actions: the patient and the donor. Donation becomes a social and personal transformation, which is why we call donors heroes, because without them there is no transplant. We understand it as a heroic act to get involved with society and the country by committing ourselves to impact the life of an unknown person. This is how we achieve transcendence as human beings.

The culture of donation is a responsibility of all Mexicans, and it is something that is increasingly promoted in our country, although we still have a long way to go. It should also be noted that the new generations are much more socially conscious. They are volunteers who help create a better country through altruistic actions. Due to the changes in their environment, they are more aware of the importance of giving, and therefore they are a key piece in the paradigm shift and represent an essential help for nonprofit organizations, regardless of their objective. On the other hand, companies are becoming more and more socially responsible; governments are increasingly concerned about focusing on the country's needs with actions and programs, and the third, or volunteer, sector is becoming more professional in terms of how to help the population, with greater credibility, effectiveness, and social impact.

It is important that as nonprofit organizations we continue to professionalize ourselves to be clear about our goals, objectives, and causes, without neglecting the emotion involved in helping others; this feeling is our driving force, as well as the key indicator that helps us measure our social impact.

At Be The Match® Mexico we know that studies and research continue to advance and stem cell transplants are increasingly important, so continuing to spread information to promote the culture of donation in Mexico continues to be our main purpose. 

I invite the whole of society to take action and make a difference, to be more empathetic, committed and to register as potential donors, because with very little they can save a life. If you cannot donate, you can always volunteer at the events or with a financial contribution, since Be The Match® is an organization that also depends on these contributions.

We cannot stop at words, let's take action.