Last Tuesday my big dream for the Embassy came true . . . we had our first blood drive in benefit of the local hospitals and clinics. It was fabulous. I was hoping for about 20 donors and I don’t think we would have even reached that number if it had not been for Anna and Tyler Sparks who spread the word across Lilongwe and walked around USAID, CDC and the Embassy signing people up.
At the end of the day, 45 pints sat in a box, on their way to saving lives. The representative from Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS – they are the ones who collect, test, store, and distribute the blood nationwide) said it was one of their most successful drives ever. Even the US Ambassador donated and promised that he would wear his “I donated blood” sticker to Parliament.
On the whole, people were incredibly enthusiastic and many asked when the next drive would be, so they could mark it on their calendars. I was told that a large group of Peace Corps (PC)volunteers who were in town also wanted to donate but since they need individual medical clearance from the PC physician, they were unable to donate. However, the PC director did say they will organize their own drive soon. The fun part is that these are people who are not allowed to donate blood in the States because they live in a malaria endemic area.
Apparently in a meeting this morning the Ambassador raved once again about the blood drive and said that for the next drive, in September, we should involve the Germans, French, and British too. I am sooo happy.
Just as a background note, MBTS says they need about 1500 pints of blood each month to meet the demand and currently they only receive about 500. The majority of the blood is used for children (malaria induced anemia is a huge killer), for peripartum women, and trauma victims. During the rainy season, which is also the malaria season, the demand for blood increases dramatically and because there are many days when there is simply no blood available, the number of preventable deaths (especially among children) also increases. Less than a pint of blood can save the life of an anemic child! Globally, it is estimated that 43% of children under the age of 5 are anemic.
My next idea is to maintain a “food pantry” just for formula to give to the orphans of women who die in childbirth.
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I am setting up this blog to chronicle my adventures of babycatching in Africa. This site is for all of you who have loved, encouraged, and supported me over the past 29 years. This is my evolving story of stepping out into the unknown and meeting life as it first makes its way into the world.
1 comment:
You have such a big heart Joanne. I love reading about your adventures in Malawi and the amazing people you get to meet each day. You are an inspiration and I will be making a donation to http://malawiproject.blogspot.com/ to help in your determined efforts to bring babies into the world safely and with love. Thank you.
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