A section of the Queen Mothers in a Group photo after the workshop
Queen Mothers from various communities in the country have joined the call for Ghanaians to voluntarily donate blood.
They made the call after a one day workshop to build their capacity in mobilizing safe, available and accessible blood for patients all over the country.
The Queen Mothers were trained in the delivery of tools and strategies around donor recruitment and retention to support their community outreach.
The training was organized as part of the ‘Champions of Change’ initiative which aims to create awareness on the importance of blood donation especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies in partnership with the Global Blood Fund are behind the ‘Champions of Change’ initiative in Ghana, lending their expertise and support to bring key stakeholders together to create awareness on the critical importance of blood donation during the crisis.
Approximately, 80% of blood collections in Ghana are from students in secondary and tertiary schools and donations mobilized by faith-based organizations.
However, due to the necessary response to curb the spread of Covid-19, schools have been closed and large religious gatherings reduced, leading to fewer blood collections recorded by the National Blood Service (NBS).
President and CEO, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Antoinette Gawin, lauded the effort of the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the Queen Mothers to develop the health infrastructure in communities.
He said the ‘Champions of Change’ initiative is part of Terumo’s commitment to serve the communities in which it operates.
“Each of us has nine pints of blood, and it takes only one pint to save a life,” Madam Gawin said.
CEO at the National Blood Service, Ghana (NBSG), Dr. Justina Ansah, said, “We are optimistic that this campaign will reach far and wide for every healthy Ghanaian to make the decision to donate blood to save a life.”
Champions of Change partners in Ghana include The Rebecca Foundation; the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation; the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Training (INSRAT); and SMART Global.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri