If you are wondering how you can become the agent of change that Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to be in his inaugural address as president, look no further \u2013 become a blood donor on Human Rights Day.<\/p>\n
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is implementing a mass blood drive next Wednesday, March 21, to recruit new donors and ensure there is sufficient stock of safe blood available in South Africa.<\/p>
The #NewBlood campaign is targeting the collection of 4 500 units of blood on the public holiday.<\/p>\n
The SANBS is especially calling on first-time donors and lapsed donors who know that their blood type is Group O, to donate.<\/p>
\u201cCurrently less than one per cent of South Africans donate blood even though it demands little more than giving up 30 minutes of their time at least twice a year,\u201d said Silungile Mlambo, chief marketing officer for the SANBS.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means that we often experience shortages which place lives at risk; lives of babies born prematurely, lives of accident victims, lives of women giving birth and the lives of people fighting cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are, therefore, calling on anyone who has never donated or has not donated in over a year to heed President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s plea and to become an agent of change and lend a hand by becoming a blood donor, starting on Human Rights Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mlambo said the SANBS will host blood drives around the country to collect the blood, including in Vilakazi Street, once home to Nobel Peace Prize laureates, President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.<\/p>\n
\n
ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Stem cell therapy and storage a new healthcare revolution<\/a><\/p>\n Be aware of what a stroke entails<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe beauty of blood donation is that virtually anyone can do it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need to have money or live in a fancy house or have a graduate degree or a fancy car.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re over 16 years old, weigh over 50kg and practise a healthy lifestyle, you can be a blood donor.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd by giving blood you can save up to three people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n \u201cSo something that costs you nothing is absolutely priceless for someone in need of blood.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody can make a greater impact than saving someone else\u2019s life,\u201d said Mlambo.<\/p>\n She added that the SANBS is launching the #NewBlood campaign on Human Rights Day because it signals the start of the Easter holiday period.<\/p>\n \u201cHolidays are unfortunately the time when we traditionally run short of blood because we are not able to host our regular drives at schools and university campuses.<\/p>\n \u201cBut this year, the SANBS wants to start turning things around.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to lend a hand, as President Ramaphosa asked us to do, and ensure that there is enough safe blood available in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThe #NewBlood campaign is asking you to lend us a hand by becoming a regular blood donor,\u201d said Mlambo.<\/p>\n She appealed to regular donors to spread the message and get new and lapsed donors \u2013 and especially those with blood type O, the most common type in South Africa \u2013 to donate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are ever grateful to our regular hero donors without whom we would not exist.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank them for their continued donations but ask that they help us further by becoming ambassadors for blood donation.<\/p>\n \u201cTell first-time and lapsed donors how it feels to be a hero just by donating blood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would appreciate it if they could help us save even more lives,\u201d said Mlambo.<\/p>\n First-time donors must produce identification when arriving for a donation.<\/p>\n Visit www.sanbs.org.za or call 0800 11 90 31 to find out where to donate on Human Rights Day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist)\u00a0kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Or add the GCN on\u00a0<\/b><\/span>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0<\/span>Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n