Campaigns

January 2008

Launch of commitment campaign 2008
Theme for 2008: “Take a Moment to Give Life: Your Blood Saves Lives”.

You are requested to make a commitment to donate blood regularly in 2008.

View Committment Card...

February 2008

Blood grouping campaign
The campaign will be carried out at various venues to educate the public on their blood type.

What better gift of love than to give another the gift of life on February 14, Valentine’s Day.

Say to your valentine, U R our Type.

March 2008

Adopt a cause campaign
Introduce a new or lapsed blood donor and we will offer a gift to a child in need.

Bring a friend to donate blood. This will bring joy to an orphan or child in hospital.

March/ April 2008

Easter Blood Drive
Time for giving and goodwill.

Church organisations are encouraged to come on board to help spread the message of the need for blood donation in our country over the Easter period.

May

Healthy Mother – Healthy Baby
Maternity cases sometimes puts a life at a “dead-end”. More focus is put on Moms this month.

A large percentage of donated blood is therefore used in maternity cases. You are advised to be open to education on the need for blood for Mothers.

June

Blood Donor Month.
This is the main event of the year. World Blood Donor Day takes place on June 14.
The youth are important for SANBS, they are the future donors of our country. We acknowledge the youth by focusing on them in line with other youth activities on June 16.

Watch this space for exciting events

July

Winter Challenge
This is the time for SANBS staff to “strut their stuff”

The branches are given targets to meet and receive exciting incentives during this course.

Support your local branch to help them reach their goal in this month.

August

Women’s Day

August 09 is Women’s Day. We are calling on all Women’s groups and associations to create awareness for blood donation throughout the month.

September

Bandana Day

Proudly SA

Shri Sathya Sai Baba
We Partner
We commemorate Bandana Day to support our Sister Organisation, The Sunflower Fund (TSF).

There is a shortage of bone marrow donors in South Africa. Buy a Bandana in September to raise funds and increase the bone marrow donor base.

As a Proudly SA organisation we support all Proudly SA initiatives.

The Shri Sathya Sai Baba Organisation celebrates their World Blood Donor Days on the third weekend of September with the slogan, “liquid love”.

This organisation carries out extraordinary community work throughout the year.

In September month their focus is on blood donation, the true liquid love.

October

O Drive
There is always a drastic shortage of O type blood at this time of the year.

Be aware of the importance of O type blood. The type that is compatible with all blood types and is used in emergencies.

O How we need you!

We also remind all our matric students not to forget to donate after their exams. We feel the pinch while schools are not available to us at this time of the year.

November

Marathon Blood Donation
Shortages continue in this month and marathon blood donation initiatives are held at the branches to build up for the Christmas period.

So “Be someone’s Angel” this festive season and donate blood.

December

Give the gift that keeps on giving.

Give blood over the festive season.

While a small percentage of blood is used on accident emergencies, a hysterical shortage sometimes lay with people’s holiday rests.

Remember to donate for the sake of saving lives this season.

Six Times Plasma Programme
Between 100 000 and 140 000 plasma donations are required each year to supply the wide range of plasma products required by the South African population. SANBS strives to maintain high standards of excellence and quality for patients.

Plasma can be stored for longer periods than other blood components such as platelets or red blood cells. The six times plasma programme was therefore developed to improve the quality and safety of this blood component, which is used in the treatment of patients with deficiency of coagulation factors or to treat burn victims. Blood donors are therefore encouraged to donate blood six times a year, in order to ensure the continuous availability of safe plasma.

Plasma procured from regular blood donors is frozen and placed under "quarantine" for a period of at least 56 days. The plasma is only released for transfusion to patients after the donor has donated blood again and is found to be negative for all markers of transfusion transmissible diseases, namely HIV 1 & 2 antibody, HIV 1 p24 antigen, hepatitis (jaundice) C antibody, hepatitis B surface antigen and TPHA (syphilis). The programme aims to reduce the risk of transmitting an infection from a donor who is in an immunosilent "window period" for any of these diseases at the time of the initial donation.

Club 25 – The Club that gives the gift of life!
Scholars and young people under the age of 25 contribute about 15% of the million units of blood donated annually by voluntary blood donors in South Africa. SANBS has therefore developed a unique campaign for this target market, known as Club 25. This campaign promotes the importance of leading a sexually safe and healthy lifestyle and encourages members to incorporate regular blood donation into their lives.

Members are issued with a challenge to donate 20 units of blood by the age of 25. All blood donors between the ages of 16 and 25, who do not engage in HIV-related risk behaviour and are able to meet the requirements of the Club are eligible to become club members.

You can join Club 25 if you:
• Are older than 16 and younger than 26;
• Do not participate in HIV-related risk behaviour; and
• Can donate twenty units of blood before turning 26.

Club activities:
• Young people are encouraged to join when they leave school;
• Members will receive a Club 25 bag on their third donation;
• A National Club 25 Newsletter is published four times a year;
• Members are recognised for achieving their Club 25 goals at annual functions.

Bone Marrow Donation (Partnerships)
Bone marrow has to be available for patients with leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and other types of cancer. The stem cells in bone marrow are necessary for the development of red and white blood cells and platelets.

There is a 1 in 200 000 chance that your bone marrow will match somebody else’s. Since there are about 2 700 people each year who need a bone marrow transplant, the establishment of an extensive bone marrow registry is crucial to their survival.

SANBS works in conjunction with the Darren Serebro Bone Marrow Foundation, Union of Jewish Women and Groote Schuur Hospital. Potential bone marrow donors must be between the ages of 18 and 55 at the time of registration.

Potential bone marrow donors should be in good health and have no history of hepatitis or other sexually transmitted diseases.