15 Jun 2023

While some spill blood for all the wrong reasons, one Mr Obusitswe Jaele swore by his life that his will go to good use and indeed he did.

He has donated blood 89 times in his lifetime and has set himself a target of 100 which he is confident he will achieve.

Mr Jaele disclosed this when he received a blood donor champion certificate during the World Blood Donor Day commemoration in Serowe on Wednesday.

“Donating blood does not only help the next person, it also helps me to lead a healthy life in order to ensure that nothing jeopardises my attempts of saving lives through donating blood,” he said.

For Mr Kgosietsile Masogo, the tennis biscuits and a can of fanta drink did the trick.

He said the incentives pushed him into donating blood until now.

He said during the course of donating blood at junior school he came across the Pledge 25 Club that made him realise the value of his gesture adding that he donated his 38th pint last Thursday.
Mr Masogo said the club inspired him to live a healthy life in order to donate safe blood and further stated that he joined National Blood Transfusion Association in 2014 in Francistown and remains a member to date with a purpose to save lives.
Donating blood helped him to be conscious of his health and kept his health on check for chronic illnesses and HIV/AIDS.
He said donating blood, one might never know whose life he or she was saving as it could end up saving loved ones hence urged all to donate blood and be compassionate and loving.
A nurse at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital, Mr Kagiso Dipholo does as he preaches.
He said he started donating blood in 2009, moved by news from radios and television that there was shortage of blood in the country.

As a nurse he was compelled to do the needful but more so due to experience with his clients and also out of patriotism.

Mr Dipholo said his intention was to donate blood every three months and was now on his 17th pint.

This he does in recognition of the importance to help those with low blood levels, those involved in road accidents, women in labor and those going through medical operations as some tended to lose a lot of blood during the process.

Some might be scared to reduce their own blood levels as a result of donating but Mr Dipholo assured that it got replaced within a week for a body that was healthy and well.

He pledged to continue donating blood for as long he was healthy to do so.

A beneficiary of blood donation, Ms Oarabile Khunong narrated that in 2017 her four year- old child was diagnosed with low blood and needed immediate assistance.

She explained that her child’s life was saved by a total stranger’s blood and for that, she would always be grateful.

She said she was inspired to do the same for others, by donating blood until she was stopped by some unmentioned circumstances.

Ms Khunong challenged those eligible to donate blood, to do so to save the lives of those in desperate need of blood.

Ms Cindy Ocaya, a Pledge 25 Club representative said the initiative was adopted in 2008 and registered in 2010 with the sole intention of encouraging their members to donate blood at least 25 times and more.

They intend to reach the 45 thousand mark given by the national transfusion service, she said they encouraged the public to donate more blood especially those in a good state to do so.

Ms Ocaya explained that this was a club of volunteers and has two groups, those who donate and those who recruited others to the club.

She said as a club, they organize mall campaigns, movement campaigns annual football tournament’s where they recruit members.

She said they also have a bicycle team who also organize annual cycling tours where the cycle and teach people the value of blood donation.

She said the last tour started at Dibete to Serowe.

She was grateful to the Ministry of Health, District Health Management Team (DHMT) in Mahalapye and Serowe/Palapye for joining hands with them in this pursuit of saving Batswana’s lives. ENDS