Blood Donation

Yesterday St. Monica's had a blood donation drive. I knew that they had held them yearly but had never had a chance to participate. John and I decided we wanted to be donors so we stopped by school after doing our weekly shopping. I apologize for the quality of photos. We didn't have a camera so we used John's phone. The pictures are of a poor quality, but you can get the general idea.

We understand that the majority of adults in Kenya don't give blood. They are frightened of the situation. If a family member is need of blood, sometimes they will donate for that family member, but it is not common practice to donate to a blood bank. Therefore, there is an acute shortage of blood in Kenya. According to statistics, every 10 minutes someone dies because of a lack of blood. We thought it was a perfect opportunity to lead by example.

The blood banks here do blood drives in schools nine months of the year. The regional blood bank came and one of the nurses gave a talk to the girls about blood donation and answered any questions they had. They were hoping to be able to get 200 pints of blood from our girls and staff.

The rules for donation here are a little different than in the States.

You must be 15 years of age and weight 50 kilograms (110 pounds). The first step was to step on the scales to see how much you weighed. Then just as in the States, you start by filling out a questionnaire about your general health status. They asked pretty much the same questions as what we were used to. Then a nurse tested a drop of blood for your hemoglobin level. The next lady put the sticker on your questionnaire and handed you the bag for your blood. That was it. No private interview and further questioning.

There were two chairs with arms that John and I used being the first in line. We were in the physics lab, so they used the twelve lab tables as beds for the majority of people. There were three technicians in the room who drew the blood and watch to see that everything was going all right.

Just like in the States, after finishing, we got a bottle of soda and some biscuits (cookies). That was a real treat for the girls as those foods are outlawed in school. They only get to have them when they are home between terms.

Peeking in the window to see what is going on. They are mostly my Form II East class!