BLOOD for my valentine
Don’t we all love Kilifi!
It’s the rich history, the culture, the beautiful beaches, the hotels, the ambiance, the food, the longest bridge in East Africa, you name it. The most unique of all, our people. Beautiful people, with big hearts of giving. Giving love. They care for their own, and others. Their compassionate spirit and ultimate altruism.
We love Kilifi, and this Valentine’s day, Kilifi people loved us back. They had an equally generous opportunity to show love. “Blood for my Valentine” blood drive was the event everyone was looking forward to. And they all came in, from residents, to bodaboda drivers, to guys selling nuts and water on the street, students, lecturers, travelers, couples, county department of health representatives, Red Cross volunteers, Rotarians, Rotaractors, our Rotary Assistant Governor 2019-2020, Pauline, and the Rotary District 9212 Governor 2019-2020, Joe Otin himself! The numbers walking in to share in the experience was incredible.
Everyone who showed up on this day was a hero. We donated 60 pints of blood. Those familiar with blood transfusion would know that one pint of blood could save up to four lives! It was a great day. All volunteer donors walked away with a branded bracelet as a token of appreciation and a reminder service above self.
People had all sorts of questions about donating blood and the event. This was expected, especially when most times, the Blood Transfusion Team focuses on mobilization efforts in high schools, universities and more recently corporate organisations in Kilifi. One of the many reasons Kenya is constantly having blood shortages in hospitals is the poor donation culture in the community. To address this, we felt it would be great to have the event in an open, central, accessible, public location. The key focus of the day was to raise awareness and get the public to donate. We played music and in between had breaks where we would answer some frequently asked questions about blood donation. Despite, all the efforts that the country has taken since the establishment of the Kenya National Blood Transfusion System to improve access to adequate safe blood, we still need to put more emphasis on creating awareness about blood donation, screening, processing and use.
“Kilifians” now could say that, blood donation is a public effort, it costs nothing to donate blood, it’s an enjoyable and healthy activity and most importantly, without people coming forward to support, many of our friends and family in hospitals may die from preventable deaths without an adequate supply of safe blood. Not forgetting, that blood donation is a practice that is encouraged to happen regularly.
The uncertainty among the community to donate blood is equally reflected when stakeholders bring resources together to support blood transfusion services. The kind of reception they will receive from the public when organizing blood drives is unknown, and always a joy when the efforts are accepted. Many thanks to the Rotary Club of Kilifi, Kilifi County Department of Health, Rotaract club of Kilifi, Rotaract Club of Pwani University, Kenya Red Cross-Kilifi and all the amazing people who donated their blood for coming together to ensure blood safety and availability in county 003. Visit our Facebook page to see more photos and videos of this awesome event! This is just the beginning 🙂 !
