Give a Kidney

is a charity that aims to raise awareness of altruistic living kidney donation.

104 new altruistic donors in 2012-2013:

The number of altruistic kidney donors has nearly trebled in the past year – congratulations to everyone who has helped make this possible

Watch two new films:

Extraordinary people who have donated kidneys to strangers explain why they did it

Tony Burgess talks about his decision to give a kidney to a stranger.

Altruistic donation is the giving of a kidney, from a living person, to a stranger who has kidney failure.

We also aim to publicise why more living kidney donors are needed and to support people who are considering this type of donation.

Patients with kidney failure have the option of dialysis or transplantation when both their kidneys fail. A kidney transplant can provide patients with freedom from regular dialysis, a better quality of life and longer life expectancy. Unfortunately, very few patients have someone who can give them a kidney, and on average most patients have to wait on dialysis for two to three years before a kidney becomes available on the national deceased donor transplant waiting list.

Although the UK performs more than 2500 kidney transplantations a year, there are over 7000 people waiting for a kidney transplant, of whom 300 die each year.

Despite the shortage of donors, we know that many people would be willing to donate a kidney if they knew how to do so.

Our aim is to raise awareness of kidney donation and support people through the giving process.