A GIFT WORTH MORE THAN A MILLION KWACHA
Its 8 in the morning and it’s another lovely day. The day is 22 March 2015. As I walk into the FMB car park in Blantyre, one thing is clear; there are people all with a common goal; to make blood available for transfusion.
For Raphael James, it is not just donating blood that drives him to always take part in blood donation exercises. For Raphael, it is his realization that every donation he makes saves lives. Although he is faced with many setbacks such as hearing stories of blood being sold in hospitals, James is not held back, his passion remains, to save lives.
Did you know that with one donation you can save as many as 3 lives? “We separate the blood into various components, and such blood is used on different patients according to needs”, explains Charles Nyangulu, the Chief Lab Officer at the Malawi Blood Transfusion Services office in Blantyre. “Blood can be separated into plasma, red blood cells or platelets”, he adds.
22 March, 2015. I am in Blantyre at the FMB car park. Spreads all around are banners for the bank. In the mix, there are also blood donation posters. I walk over to an FMB official, “what is happening?”
“This is an exercise that FMB sponsors aiming at maximizing blood collections for MBTS. It takes place every 3 months and is sponsored wholly by the First Merchant Bank”, he answers my question.
If these sponsors multiplied in number, at least some of the blood shortage cases could be minimized according to the employee.
One by one people are trekking to the car park. Others donate blood whilst others are sent back. But Sobhuza Ngwenya, head of marketing division at tnm is all smiles as he donates blood. For Sobhuza, it is not necessarily what you have or need that would push one to donate blood. To him, he also made a commitment to save lives.
Maria Banda, an airtime sales lady, has also left her bench close to Blantyre Market to come and donate blood. But for somebody who earns so little and would not want to lose time, she has still sacrificed her time to come and donate blood.
Maria Banda, an airtime sales lady, has also left her bench close to Blantyre Market to come and donate blood. But for somebody who earns so little and would not want to lose time, she has still sacrificed her time to come and donate blood.
“It was in 1999 when my mother was hospitalized with malaria in Ntcheu”, narrates Maria. “The doctor at Ntcheu District Hospital said that her body was becoming anemic and she needed blood”, adds Maria.
As she continues with her narration, she confesses that the hospital personnel helped them with blood which she was told is collected from well-wishers all over Malawi. “From then on, I made the decision to join hands with blood donors through Red Cross then. Now with MBTS, things are a little more easier.” she concludes.
There are many other Maria Banda’s out there, but with this Maria Banda, one thing is exceptional and she understands that without somebody’s willingness somewhere, there will never be enough blood in the hospitals and as a result we will continue loosing lives.
Mervis Chirwa is the Blood Donor Manager at MBTS. “ Out of a requirement of over 80 000 units of blood every year, we usually collect around the 50’S and this derails our progress as an organization, that’s why after engaging FMB, they understood and were willing to help.”
Chirwa asks many other organizations to join in the cause.
Blood donation happens in all countries in the world. It is meant to help people who are in need of blood transfusion in the hospitals.
These people include pregnant women who might lose blood during delivery, accident victims, anemia patients, people who have to undergo surgery and people whose bodies have become anemic as a result of Malaria.
“The gift of blood is worth more than a million Kwacha, that’s why we get people to give this gift by sponsoring these open days for MBTS, today is the 7th and we don’t plan to stop here”, explains Slyvia Mataka, Head of Marketing at FMB.
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