Rail Park Mall celebrates Valentine's Day with blood donation drive
Staff Writer | Wednesday February 10, 2021 15:05
The blood donation drive which started on February 8 and ends on Feb 13, 2021 is an initiative which has been held annually since 2013. It is part of Rail Park Mall and NBTS’s commitment to encouraging the public to donate blood to relieve the bleeding national blood bank.
Held under the theme, “You are just my type, give me blood”, the Rail Park Mall’s Centre Manager, Obakeng Tebele said it has become a norm that they partner with NBTS to host a public activation in harmony with Valentine’s Day. This initiative encourages the public to be compassionate and show love by giving blood as the country’s blood bank is running low.
“The national outcry from NBTS about blood shortage in the country has affected everyone, more so in the times of a pandemic like COVID-19. It is important to have patients who need blood helped early so that they can leave health facilities speedily, to avoid contracting other infections. As Rail Park mall, we create such partnerships to educate our customers and shoppers in a relaxed environment,” Tebele said.
Rail Park Mall Marketing officer, Keletso Sebogodi in her part added that as one of Botswana’s biggest malls, it is their responsibility to support our communities and those in need. “We hope to raise awareness and educate the masses through this initiative on the numerous benefits of donating blood. We are always keen and proud to host such events at Rail Park Mall, which highlight the many ways we can all make an important contribution to our communities through these worthy causes. We intend to use the mall’s +- 600, 000-foot traffic per month to our advantage,” she highlighted.
Sebogodi said they are grateful for partnerships from Multichoice Botswana, Kamoso Africa, Orange, Botswana Insurance Fund Management and Pledge 25 Club for coming on board in this noble occurrence.
Botswana National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS), Chief Registered Nurse, Recruitment Coordinator, Annah Mothuti said currently the country is in severe shortage of blood as annually, about 45 000 units of blood are needed but the country currently collects a mere 23 000 units. “We urge people who are above 50kg and aged between 16–65 years old to come forth and help raise our collection units. Blood saves lives as it is used by cancer patients, during childbirth, by accident victims, people who lost blood during operations, and for many other medical conditions,” Mothuti concluded.