Send us a report if your club is organizing blood drives/camps or supports blood banks in other ways. Your experience might be of help to others.
If you and your club already are involved in a blood donor project, please let us know. Send us a report about the project. Don't worry about the English grammar etc. Pictures, status reports and news paper articles on your project are welcomme.
Your experience might be of help to others. If you would like information as to how to start a project for voluntary blood donation, please let us know about that, too. Our Project Handbook can be downloaded from DOWNLOADS at this website.
E-mail address: editor@ourblooddrive.org
The purpose of the website www.ourblooddrive.org:
- Build a strong communication network of interested parties.
- Build a database of resources.
- Build a knowledge bank including materials such as handbooks, posters, worksheets.
- Encourage participation in World Blood Donor Day.
- Develop friendly blood donation challenges amongst Rotary Clubs and Districts around the world.
- Encorage clubs and districts to create awareness of voluntary nonremunerated blood donation on the World Blood Donor Day, June 14.
- Encourage the redeployment of technically appropriate surplus materials and equipment - ally with other Rotary RAG's where special shipping and import knowledge is required.
Definitions
The definitions of what is a voluntary nonremunerated blood donation have been outlined by the Council of Europe and by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Both definitions are very similar.
The Council of Europe definition states, "Voluntary unpaid donation shall mean the donation of blood or blood components by a person of his/her free will and without receiving payment in cash or in kind in return which could be considered a substitute for money. This also includes time off work reasonably required for donation and travel. Small tokens, gratuities, refreshments and the reimbursement of direct costs and direct travel expenses are compatible with the voluntary and unpaid donation of blood."
This definition should also be considered in the context of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) Code of Ethics. It states, "blood donation including hematopoietic tissues for transplantation shall, in all circumstances, be voluntary and non-remunerated: no coercion should be brought to bear on the donor . . ."
WHO, the World Health Organization, recommends its member states an integrated approach with four key elements dealing with blood safety:
- establishment of a nationally-coordinated blood transfusion service
- collection of blood from exclusively voluntary donors from low-risk populations
- testing of all blood for compatibility and transfusion-transmissible infections
- reduction of unnecessary transfusions.