A bag of blood can save three lives!

reported by Rtr Fue Yin

Rotaract Club of Kota Melaka organizes a blood donation drive every year, to help the blood bank replenishes their collection. However this year, to embrace the Rotary effort in reducing child mortality, the blood donation drive was held together with child mortality awareness campaign in conjunction with World Rotaract Week. This project was organized together with sponsoring club Rotary Club of Kota Melaka

On 15^th March 2009, headed by our organizing chairperson DRR Wee Yik Chuang, we gathered at the top floor of Mahkota Parade at about 12.30pm. Our blood donation campaign was conducted at a vacant space next to the cinema. The management of Mahkota Parade was kind enough to let us use the place free of charge. The blood bank personnel from the Melaka General Hospital, headed by Madam Annie, arrived soon after and we helped her and her staffs to set up the chairs and tables. Posters on child mortality were put up all around the pillars surrounding the blood donation drive. We started registering donors at 1pm. Our duty was to convince potential donors, register them and to educate about child mortality. After that, the rest of blood donation procedure will be taken care of by the hospital staffs.

Registration was handled by two members of our club, while the rest of us armed with flyers went around trying to convince the public to donate. On the other hand, two more members are armed with flyers to explain to the public concerning child mortality and the importance of vaccination.

We set out to get 50 bags of blood. At the end of the day, at 5pm, we managed to collect 53 bags of blood with a few Rh negative blood bags. Thank you everyone, the donors, the hospitals staffs, rotarians and rotaractors.

Hospital staffs busy preparing the station for donation

All set for donation!

Tubes and syringes

Registration counter looking busy

First donor: Rtn Stefan
Don't worry, this didn't hurt one bit