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29 March 2024

Why this widow donated her kidney to a stranger; Now UAE NRIs help her

Uma Preman was in the UAE as part of the Sharjah Book Fair, where her autobiography was showcased. (Supplied)

Published
By Joseph George

Indian expats in UAE have been leading contributors towards rehabilitation of the tribal community in Attappadi in Palakkad district of the South Indian state of Kerala, says a social worker who has been working on community welfare.

Uma Preman was in the UAE as part of the Sharjah Book Fair, where her autobiography was showcased. Speaking to ‘Emirates 24|7’, the widow who donated her kidney to a stranger whom she met at the corridors of a government hospital in Kerala says to date more than 10 million people have benefitted from Santhi Medical Information Centre, a charitable institution she founded in 1997 with an idea to assist those looking out for medical information, treatment and financial assistance.

The organisation helps patients by offering free dialysis for poor patients across its seven subsidised and two free dialysis units. She has also built two free dialysis centres in Attappadi.

It was her husband’s death, who she blames on delayed and improper treatment that inspired her to start the non-profit organisation. Today her organisation has aided several thousand heart surgeries and hundreds of kidney transplants.

Uma Preman was in the UAE as part of the Sharjah Book Fair, where her autobiography was showcased. (Supplied)

However, the past year-and-a-half has seen her working with the tribal community in Attappadi, considered as one of the most backward districts in Kerala. “There are about 192 small villages in the area. Some villages consist of just 20 families. Most people living there do not have toilets, schools and many of them have never ventured out of the area all their life. That is their world,” says Preman.

She has already built about 120 toilets in various villages. The requirement is about 4,000. “We are also constructing small single teacher schools, so that the kids there can get educated,” she adds.

Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) living in the Gulf, especially in the UAE are of the leading contributors for the cause. “The funds from UAE has been consistent compared to anywhere else,” she adds.

“We are seeing more individuals coming forward. People can also do wonders by just sacrificing certain comforts and habits,” she adds urging smokers to quit the habit to safeguard their health as well as support a noble cause.

A person who quits smoking can save close to Dh3,500 annually and Dh7,000 in two years, sufficient money to build a toilet in a village.