The Act of Giving: CSOs Blood Drive Provides the Gift of Life

The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) organized the #Giving Tuesday campaign CSOsBlood Drivethat took place on August 31, 2019 at Muhimbili National Hospital in collaboration with partner CSOs and community members in an initiative to donate blood for patients at the country’s fore-most referral hospital.

 

 

The Giving Tuesday campaign centered on blood donations also is an annual initiative that entails giving back to the community and those in need. Last year, the drive took place at the Muhimbili Orthopedic Hospital’s (MOI) blood bank.

 

 

 Giving Tuesday is a global movement launched in 2012 by the UN and New York’s 92nd Street, with the aim to celebrate kindness and generosity of giving to the less fortunate.  The event has since been organized every year and celebrated worldwide by many countries, companies, businesses, schools, individuals, families and CSOs..

 

 

The FCS launched Giving Tuesday Tanzania in 2016 as a way of promoting local philanthropy. The organization celebrated the event in Tanzania by supporting children with disability who are pursuing education at the Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School. This is a government-owned school of about 609 pupils. The school provides special education for 154 children with disabilities that include intellectual and cognitive disabilities, Vision Disabilities, Hearing Disabilities and albinism). The school was faced with multiple challenges in its day to day operations.

 

 

Ms Karin Rupia, FCS Resource Mobilization Executive, had this to say: “Philanthropy is about giving. Giving blood is one of the ways that we as a community can support others in helping people in need. Our vision is to assist more people. Blood donation is a gift of life that a healthy individual can give to others in their community who are sick or injured.”

From one unit of blood, red blood cells can be extracted for use in trauma or surgical patients. Plasma, the liquid part of blood, is administered to patients with clotting problems. 

 

 

FCS Business Development and Partnerships Manager Martha Olotu said,

“There are many ways people can give back to the community. We call upon other CSOs in in Tanzania and the public at large to give donate blood in hospitals. Various CSOs have taken part in the blood donation drive and for that we would like to extend our thanks to CSOs 10 organizations for joining the blood donation drive. These organizations are,Youth of United Nations Association of Tanzania  (YUNA Tanzania), Baba Watoto Organization, Tangible Initiatives For Local Development Tanzania (TIFLD), Wote Initiative for Development Empowerment (WIDE), Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), Volunteer Point and Compassion Organization (VPCO),Alpha and Omega Reconciliation and Peace Building (AREPEB), Tanzania Legal Human Rights Centre( LHRC) HAKI ARDHI, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF-TZ and, SADAKA Network. Our support matters a lot everyone becausethe need for blood is constant, no matter the season. Patients still depend on lifesaving medical care, which makes the need for blood donors acute.

 

 

TIFLD Executive Director Ms. Geline Fuko spoke about the importance of the public to take part in such blood donations drives because many patients in hospitals face challenges in accessing blood. She said, “When we donate blood, we must remember that we are helping the person. Donating blood is something that can change the life of someone. I urge everyone to go to hospitals and donate blood’’

 

 

FCS Executive Director Francis Kiwanga insisted on community involvement in blood drives and commend various people who donated blood,“We conduct the Giving Tuesday Blood Drive annually. Our belief is that everyone can give in many ones and donating blood is one of the ways we can support each other as a community. We must need to realize that how we help one another has impact on their lives.”

 

 

Why Give Blood?

  • Bloods is needed every day because many people going to hospital are likely to need blood transfusion;
  • Blood is always needed for treatment of accident victims, cancer patients, haemophiliacs and surgery patients and 
  • Blood cannot be manufactured.