Promoting Donor Events

June 14th - World Blood Donor Day

World Blood Donor Day Set for June

The focus of World Blood Donor Day 2010, which will once again be celebrated on June 14, is on Young Donors - with the slogan: “New blood for the world.”

Please check on the video overview below, which includes information on Host Country, the focus on youth, and ideas on how to implement a University Campaign. Click on the links to the right for additional ideas and information on WBDD.

The need for blood is increasing in all parts of the world. Young people can make an important contribution by donating blood and by recruiting other young people to become donors. Initiatives such as young ambassadors’ programmes, Club 25, media campaigns directed towards young audiences and other youth-oriented activities will help bring “new blood to the world”. Many activities are planned around the world to focus on the role of young people in ensuring a safe blood supply.

The goal of WBDD is to raise global awareness on the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion and of the critical contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems. World Blood Donor Day is also an opportunity to celebrate those who already donate blood, in response to the worldwide increase in demand for voluntary non-remunerated blood and plasma donations. Today, 57 countries have achieved 100 per cent voluntary blood donation, up from 39 in 2002.

Since 2004, World Blood Donor Day has been jointly sponsored by four core agencies: The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). During 2009-10, IFBDO will be acting as the coordinating agency on behalf of the four core agencies to coordinate communication with any external agencies. Each year, these core agencies identify a host country for a global event that provides a focus for an international media campaign. The event is also designed to support national level blood transfusion services, blood donor organizations and other nongovernmental organizations in strengthening and expanding their voluntary blood donor programmes and to reinforce national and local campaigns.

The 2010 global event will take place in Barcelona, Spain. It will be hosted by the Spanish and Catalonian Health Care Authorities, the Spanish and Catalonian donor associations and the Spanish Red Cross.

The joint website of the core agencies (www.wbdd.org) and the WHO webpage (www.who.int/ worldblooddonorday) will contain the World Blood Donor Day brochure and poster as well as additional resources, including the WBDD 2009 logotype and news about events. ADRP members are invited to contribute by sharing your ideas, resource materials and plans for activities at national and local levels through these websites.

For additional information, contact Deb Swift at dswift@adrp.org or call 512.658.9414.