What We Do
Donor education:

Many Kenyans are ignorant on the blood donation process and are not sensitized on the dire blood need the country is facing

1. Health talks
   Health talks are also carried out prior to blood donation drives if the company work schedule allows. The health talks are organized within the organizations premises. The aim of the health talks would therefore is to:
   • Encourage potential blood donors to donate blood.
   • Address concerns and fears related to blood donation.
   • Assure donors about confidentiality of donor information.
   • Give the criteria that a potential donor has to meet in order to participate in blood donation.
2. Workshops
   BLF also organizes for more intense one day sensitization workshops during which we do the following:
   • Sensitize corporate organizations on new methodologies of blood donor mobilization.
   • Recruit safe donors to increase the capacity of the National Blood Transfusion Service to deliver adequate safe blood.
   • Assure donors about confidentiality of donor information.
   • Sensitize corporates on blood donation as part of corporate social responsibility. Each organization nominates one or two participants who are a team players, peer leaders and who will in future be key in mobilizing donors within their organizations. Participation in the workshops is also is totally free.

Bloodlink Foundation has been conducting education seminars for university students and representatives of various corporate organizations aimed at dispelling the fears associated with blood donation and education on the accruing benefits both to the donor and society at large. The corporate organizations are at the same time encouraged to incorporate blood donation into their CSR activities. Blood donation is probably the only CSR activity that requires no budgetary commitment from these organizations. In the long term BLF hopes to recruit a sufficient number of organizations to ensure an adequate supply of safe blood for our hospitals at all times especially given that the shelf life of blood is only 30 days thus the need for regular donors. BLF targets to induct 150 corporations by the end of March 2009. The target organizations will be based in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru and Kisumu.

• We also mobilize and recruit for blood donors within corporate organizations and universities.
• We organize for blood donation events within corporates and universities during which we make arrangements for the tents, beds, donor replacement fluids and snacks. The organization of the blood donation exercise is totally free. We also hold community blood drives.

Bloodlink Foundation is also involved in mobilization of corporates for resources for blood safety donation. Please note that the organization of the blood donation exercise is totally free .We make arrangements for the tents, beds, donor replacement fluids and snacks.

Bloodlink Foundation is a non- profit organization which relies totally on donor funding for the actualization of its activities. Corporate organizations are therefore welcome to contribute resources in terms of donor incentives if they are able to. Donor incentives could be in the form of T-shirts, wrist bands, badges, caps, etc which motivate potential donors to donate.

Corporates are also able to sponsor community blood drives and fund media campaigns which help alleviate stigma associated with blood donation and transfusion. Examples of corporates that have been able to participate successfully include Safaricom Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline, National Hospital Insurance Fund, Brand Kenya EAST Fm, KISS 100, among others.

Interested organizations could be involved in any of the following ways:

• Provide resources towards implementation of the blood donation camps (cash or in-kind).
• Mobilize employees as donors.
• Employees volunteer time.

The benefits accrued by the sponsoring/supporting organizations include:

• Involvement in long term visible corporate social responsibility activity
• Opportunity to contribute towards alleviating perennial blood shortages.
• Association with Bloodlink Foundation a credible non - profit organization, corporate giant Safaricom and USAID amongst others.