Jamaica Red Cross targets youth for voluntary blood donation through 'Club 25'

June 14 will be celebrated as World Blood Donor Day under the theme “Safe Blood for Safe Motherhood.” In observation of the day and as an expression of its commitment to voluntary blood donation, the Jamaica Red Cross will launch Club 25 on June 13 at the Knutsford Court Hotel, 11 Ruthven Road, Kingston 5 at 11:30am.

Club 25 is a programme designed to establish a cohort of regular, safe, non-remunerated blood donors among young people, by encouraging them to give 20- 25 blood donations by the age of 25.

Club 25 is designed for young people not only to give blood to save life, but also to attend blood centres, learn about healthy lifestyles and share what they have learned with their community.

By promoting and acknowledging positive lifestyles, they will achieve a reduction in the number of new HIV infection among program participants.

The organization will use its youth volunteer base as the initial target group for the programme and eventually extend it to other youth organizations in the island.

Already approximately 10 youth volunteers from the Kingston & St. Andrew branch of the Jamaica Red Cross have signed up to be part of the programme.

World Blood Donor Day aims to raise awareness of the need for safe blood, to thank and honour those who donate blood and to encourage current and potential donors to commit to regular voluntary blood donation.

This year the international theme Safe Blood for Safe Motherhood serves to highlight how voluntary blood donors can play a vital role in saving the lives of thousands of mothers and their newborns.