By Hema Budaraju, Product Lead, Health
Today, in honor of World Blood Donor Day, we are launching Blood Donations on Facebook, a new center where people in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan can find opportunities to donate nearby. We are also running a campaign in these countries to raise awareness on the shortage of blood and the importance and impact of donating.
People who visit Blood Donations on Facebook can also sign up to be a blood donor to get notified directly when there is a need for blood nearby. To date, more than 11 million people have signed up and thousands of donations have been facilitated through Facebook.
Blood Donations on Facebook
We know that when donors have information and opportunities to give, they step up to help. But often donors don’t know where and when to donate. Blood Donations on Facebook shows people opportunities to donate in their city, including nearby blood donation events, requests from blood donors and blood banks. We have also made it easy for organizations to add requests and events to the center. People will be able to access Blood Donations on Facebook from the explore menu on their device.
World Blood Donor Day Campaign
In many countries, including India, blood donations are typically at their lowest during May and June. To help raise awareness of the shortage and the need for donations, we’ll be running a campaign through the month of June to encourage people to donate blood and educate people about the process of donating blood. The campaign will include stories of people who have helped saved lives using our blood donation features.
We’re also partnering with organizations across India, including the National Blood Transfusion Council, a division of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Giants Welfare Foundation, to set up over 2,000 blood donation events on Facebook this month. These events will be featured in our new Blood Donation center.
We hope that by raising awareness and letting people know where and when they can donate, we can increase blood donations and contribute to a more sustainable blood supply.
People in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan can go to facebook.com/blooddonations to learn more and find nearby places to donate blood. For partners interested in hosting blood camps on Facebook, go to https://donations.fb.com/blood-donation to learn more.