In partnership with the DRC’s National Blood Transfusion Center (CNT), Facebook announced on Wednesday July 28 the launch of the blood donation feature.
Indeed, according to the CNT, the level of voluntary blood donations in the country has fallen by 20% over the past year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which limits the movement of people.
“Volunteer blood donors are essential for a constant supply of blood, but many people do not know when, where and how to donate. We are happy to work with Facebook to encourage much needed donation at this time when many blood donation centers have extremely low stocks. Facebook has a good reach in our community of blood donors, and thanks to this functionality, existing donors will be able to help recruit new donors by inviting family and friends to participate in planned blood drives in their communities, ”says Jean Marie Bayongwa, Communications and Marketing Manager at the National Center blood transfusion service from the DRC.
Read here: North Kivu: In Butembo, the secure blood supply has dropped by more than 50% after schools were closed following Covid-19
Facebook’s blood donation feature therefore aims to encourage voluntary blood donation to help alleviate the country’s severe blood shortage.
According to Balkissa Idé Siddo, public affairs director for Francophone Africa at Facebook, this initiative is a continuation of their commitment.
“The launch of the blood donation feature is part of our attachment to the DRC and is part of the continuity of our commitment. We are delighted to add the DRC to the list of countries where we are providing support with the blood donation feature. In partnership with the National Blood Transfusion Center, we want to encourage as many volunteers as possible to donate blood, to ensure a safe and reliable supply of this vital resource, which is essential to meet some of the major healthcare challenges. of health that the citizens of the DRC are facing. ”, he said.
And to continue: “From today, residents of the DRC between the ages of 18 and 65 can register on Facebook to receive notifications about nearby blood donation opportunities, by going to Blood donation. in the About section of their profile or by accessing this link: facebook.com/donateblood. When blood collection centers need blood donation, they can share messages letting people nearby who have registered to use this feature ”.
Facebook first launched the blood donation feature in India in October 2017, and since then more than 100 million people around the world have signed up to receive notifications of nearby blood donation opportunities. The DRC is the 14th country in sub-Saharan Africa where Facebook has launched such an initiative. Other African countries that have benefited are: Chad, Mali, Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Niger, Kenya, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
Thérèse Ntumba
–
