Due to various causes, not a single day goes by in which there is not a person who requires a blood donation. Donated blood is used in hospitals for different purposes. For example, in surgeries, for the treatment of cancer patients, in organ transplants, in injured people who need transfusions, in obstetric complications, etc.
Despite how important it is to donate blood, statistics from 2021 showed that only 1.03% of the Peruvian population donated blood. That is, only 344,112 people donated voluntarily. According to international standards (and according to MINSA, the Ministry of Health), this figure should increase to at least 2%. Thanks to this voluntary contribution, a single unit of blood can benefit up to three people.
It is necessary to promote a culture of voluntary blood donation
In countries like ours, it is necessary to attain at least 600 thousand units of donated blood per year. However, this is quite far from being a reality. To encourage voluntary blood donation, it is necessary to educate the population about the safety of this process, as well as the benefits it provides both for the health of the donor and for those who benefit from the transfused blood.
There are non-profit organizations that encourage blood donation
The role of private entities in encouraging voluntary blood donation is as important as that of the State. Fortunately, there are interesting initiatives, such as that of the Peruvian Association of Blood Donors (APDS), which was founded in 2014 with the aim of promoting voluntary, quality and unpaid blood donation.
To achieve this goal, the association has 2 hemo-buses that travel through all the districts of the capital city, which have a safe and comfortable infrastructure for donors and health personnel who are present at all times. Each donation campaign is carried out jointly with one of the blood banks, which are the authorized institutions for blood collection in the country. Moreover, the association periodically organizes awareness campaigns on the benefits of voluntary donation in various public and private venues, such as shopping centers, universities, central squares, among others, and through its social media.
The Entrepreneur Fund is the innovation program of the Wiese Foundation destined to training, financing and accompanying professionally social enterprises with an impact.
In its second edition, whose call for entries and launch concluded on February 20, the Entrepreneur Fund received more than 226 applications from different professional sectors and regions of the country. After the evaluation carried out by the team in charge, 21 ventures that presented their businesses to the Evaluation Committee from March 20 to 22 were selected. As a result of the evaluations, 8 social enterprises are in the pre-acceleration stage, where they are receiving training, will meet social enterprises that are in more advanced stages, and will work with specialists from the Entrepreneur Fund.
One of the outstanding social enterprises in the Health sector is the Peruvian Association of Blood Donors, which is currently in the due diligence process of the call for entries. This will allow it to obtain the necessary elements for presenting its endeavor to potential investors.
APDS invites Peruvians to join voluntary blood donation
Donating blood saves lives. Therefore, the APDS invites the general population to join the voluntary donation, either through the campaigns organized by the APDS or others that are carried out in the country. To donate blood, you must only meet the following minimum requirements: being over 18 and under 65 years of age, weighing 50 kilos or more, being in good health, not having consumed alcohol during the last 24 hours and having allowed more than 12 months to elapse since the last tattoo or piercing.
We remind you that men can donate up to 4 times a year, while women can do it up to 3 times a year. Thousands of people depend on your generosity, empathy and humaneness to save their lives.
To learn more about APDS’s participation in the Entrepreneur Fund and about this program, we invite you to visit our website.
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1. Entrepreneur Fund: Learn about the 8 social enterprises that will move on to the pre-acceleration stage
2. The Importance of early cancer screening
3. Social Entrepreneurship: Lima, Cusco and San Martín are the regions with the highestrate of social entrepreneurship
