The Rotary Club of Iyaganku has partnered with the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) and The Blooddrive Network to raise awareness of blood donation.
Speaking at the Sexual Health Campaign and Voluntary Blood Donation programme at the Lead City University, Ibadan on Thursday, the President of the Club, Rotarian Kemi Akinpelu said the programme was organised to encourage the younger ones to donate blood to save lives.
Akinpelu said the awareness is good as people are seeing the need in giving back to society.
She said: “We are creating awareness on sexual health and encouraging youth to donate blood voluntarily. We have so many mortality rates in most of our hospitals due to loss of blood or the need for blood and this is the heartbeat of the government, that is why you will see that on the calendar, we have World Donor Day, which is June 14, but Federal government has just declared December 8 as National Blood Donor Day; that is to tell you that, we need blood for people who have health challenges to actually survive.
“So, what we are doing today is just to encourage people to voluntarily donate blood, so that we will help those who need blood to survive. So, NBSC is here partnering with us for the programme. The organisation is going to do the necessary for the blood to keep it safe for the general public.
“For the registration online, we have over 100 people for the cause and physically, we have about 100 students willing to donate blood.”
In their separate remarks, the acting Zonal Director, South West Zonal Centre, NBSC, Dr Oladapo Aworanti and Founder, the Blooddrive Network, Okoro Chidinma, said Nigerians need to donate and save lives adding that regular donation has a positive impact on individuals.
Aworanti said: “The programme is aimed at educating people about sexual activities; what is expected at higher institutions and how you can live comfortably at the institution regarding sexual education.
“We need youths if we actually want to meet our targets of blood donation. So we just need one per cent of the blood of our population to donate voluntarily, but unfortunately, we have not been able to meet the targets and that is why we are trying to engage as many youths as possible in higher institutions, churches, mosques, to ensure that they actually become voluntarily blood donor.”
Chidinma disclosed that “The foundation is an outlet aimed at ensuring commitment to regular voluntary blood donation by young people. Young people are the drivers of social action and social change. We believe if we can start with young people we will be able to reach even the general public with regards to commitment to regular voluntary blood donation.”
One of the donors, Kesiena Dedekuma, said she was happy to be one of the donors, adding: “Today, I donated blood and why did I do that? Because we do not live this life alone; we are here to help one another and it is not everybody that can help in terms of financial assistance, I could help by donating my blood. People need to donate blood and save lives.”
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