Press Release

Empowering Young Minds: The National Debating League Adopts Life-Saving Stem Cell Transplants in 2025 Debate Agenda

Advocacy begins with awareness, and when young minds take the lead in driving change, they become powerful champions for crucial health causes such as the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders.

Cape Town, January 2025 – DKMS Africa has collaborated with The National Debating League, a renowned forum that nurtures intellectual discourse among high school learners. The League has over 150 member schools with a wide expanse of high schools across South Africa’s nine provinces.

As the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders becomes more urgent, this collaboration aims to drive awareness on this pressing issue. For its 2025 season, the league has incorporated blood stem cell transplantations (in relation to blood cancers and disorders) as a key debate topic. This marks an important step in educating young minds about life-saving medical advancements and the urgent need for stem cell donors.

The league kicked off its 2025 agenda by introducing the topic to participating schools at workshops held in Johannesburg and Cape Town, where DKMS Africa’s donor recruitment teams were present to provide expert insights. The fourth round of debates, set to take place in May, will challenge students to engage critically with the topic, further embedding awareness and advocacy in schools.

At the Cape Town workshop held at Sans Souci Girls' High School, DKMS Africa engaged with pupils and teachers about blood cancer awareness, stem cell donation, and the role of advocacy in shaping these conversations. We further engaged learners in critical discussions on the urgent need for stem cell donors and the power of advocacy. By empowering them with this knowledge, they can share it with their parents and peers, encouraging more people to register as potential stem cell donors and give patients in need a second chance at life.

Speaking at the Cape Town workshop, Thishin Moodley, co-founder of The National Debating League, said; “This debate will encourage students to develop a deep understanding of blood cancer and disorders that stem cell transplants can address”.

Echoing Thishin’s sentiments, the head of community engagement and communications at DKMS Africa, Palesa Mokomele, said, “We actively engage with various communities nationally through digital and offline educational initiatives, awareness initiatives, and donor drives. The stem cell transplant topic inclusion at The National Debating League is a continuation of these efforts.”

Register today at https://www.dkms-africa.org/become-a-donor.

For more information, contact DKMS Africa on 0800 12 10 82.