Did you know?

African Americans are almost four times as likely as white Americans to develop kidney failure. While African Americans make up about 13% of the population, they account for 35% of the people with kidney failure in the United States, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Also, African Americans wait longer and have less likelihood than Caucasian Americans of receiving a living donor kidney according to a Cleveland Clinic Study.

Kidneys for Communities is one solution that can bridge the gap between the demand for organ transplants and the limited number of donated organs in minority communities.

Our community-directed donation model and paired kidney exchange create the opportunity for members to help others in their organization who desperately help simply by sharing an affinity for a cause or organization.

Picture This

For example, suppose a person wishes to donate a kidney to help a fellow member of a minority-owned business association. While the donation is anonymous, the donor guides where their kidney goes, even though they don’t know the recipient personally. In that case, they are entered into a pool and their kidney donation can begin a chain of paired exchange transplants that ends with a compatible transplant to a member of the minority-owned business association.

Take Action

Ask the leaders of membership-based associations who serve minorities to sign up for our “Put Your Kidney Where Your Heart Is” toolkit, which empowers members through a turnkey living kidney education program.