Youth Blood Drive: Celebrating our youth who keep the world beating

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has seen a decrease in blood collections from the youth and wants to encourage all young people to support the Jimmy Jaggers Youth Blood Drive initiative. Bring friends and family and celebrate Youth Day, Wednesday 16 June, by donating blood at Jimmy Jaggers Bar & Grill, from 10:00 to 15:00. Every blood donor will receive a gift of appreciation. Help the SANBS collect 50 units of blood, which could save hundreds of lives. We know better than most that each year, millions of South Africans need blood transfusions to lead healthy lives. If it weren’t for voluntary blood donations – who knows what people would have to do to get blood when they needed it? Who knows how many people would have access to safe blood when they needed it?

The SANBS kickstarts National Blood Donor Month 2021 with a special focus on honouring the dedicated donors who heed the humanitarian call to donate blood while inspiring others to do the same. This year, World Blood Donor Day finds us recovering from a unique set of circumstances that brought the world to its knees. “Even amid the pandemic, our annual observance has in no way lost its significance and importance. With hosts of people still receiving blood transfusions in hospitals, the need for blood has not slowed down,” the SANBS said. “This amazing effort during a moment of exceptional distress exemplifies the importance of collaboration while encou- raging the Government and National Health authorities to support the development of necessary resources, systems and infrastructure, to boost the collection of blood from unpaid, voluntary donors.” In honour of Youth Month, we’re reminded of young people’s long history of activism, proactiveness and banding together for a shared cause.

As such, the international #GiveBloodAndKeepWorldBeating movement taps into the youth’s idealism and passion for bringing vital causes to life, like those in need of blood. “Attempts to save lives have been at the forefront of all blood donors’ minds. We want to thank them for their involvement and support. The growing realisation across the globe that giving blood is a life-saving act of solidarity, and that services that provide safe blood and blood products are a crucial part of any healthcare system, is among the core reasons we encourage you to continue donating and raising awareness on the importance of doing so,” said Ravi Reddy, SANBS CEO. It is worth noting that the involvement and support of blood donors are most effective when individuals commit to donating regularly. We encourage more people to take up the cause and become life-savers by pledging to donate blood on Wednesday 16 June in Parys.. To find out more about where you can donate blood, visit sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31. Don’t let South Africa run out of safe blood. Donate today.

About the SANBS

The SANBS is an independent non- profit organisation, and one of the leaders in the discipline of blood transfusion. SANBS operates in eight out of nine provinces in South Africa (except the Western Cape, which is serviced by the Western Cape Blood Service). It also provides crucial support to countries in the SADC region. SANBS supplies over one million blood products annually and is rated among the top blood services in the world. This pedigree is the result of world-class testing and collection protocols that ensure that the blood that is transfused is always of top quality. The blood is processed into its consti- tuent components; red blood cells, plasma and platelets. Therefore, in principle, a single blood donation could save up to three lives