Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) and Busoga Kingdom have launched a collaborative effort to conduct blood donation drives within the Busoga communities. On July 11, 2024, a successful strategic meeting and orientation session on voluntary Blood Donor Recruitment (BDR) was held with the Royal Chiefs of the 11 chiefdoms of Busoga Kingdom. Attendees included HRH the Minister of Youth, chiefdom youth ministers, chiefdom mobilizers, and leaders of Basoga Nseete from various universities. This event, which emphasized the significance of blood donation and URCS’s auxiliary role in BDR, took place at the Kingdom headquarters on Bugembe Hill.The chief guest, representing the Kingdom Prime (Katukiro), was the Busoga Kingdom Minister for Legal Affairs, Owek. Counsel Alex Luganda. The URCS team was led by Ms. Sarah Mutegombwa, Program Manager for BDR.
Following the orientation, the team will launch various BDR drives, starting with the Busoga Youth Symposium blood drive at Kigulu Chiefdom on July 11, 2024.
In his address, Owek. Counsel Alex Luganda highlighted the vital importance of blood donation, especially for mothers during childbirth and accident victims. “Everyone could potentially need blood at any moment. That’s why I encourage you all, particularly our youth leaders, to support URCS in mobilizing voluntary blood donors at the community level. I also urge all eligible donors to participate in the upcoming drives by URCS & UBTS,” Counsel Luganda emphasized.
Counsel Luganda also noted that the ongoing collaboration between URCS and the Busoga Kingdom could ignite a long-term partnership that the National Society has been eager to establish.
Ms. Sarah Mutegombwa expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Kyabazinga for his support in facilitating life-saving education and voluntary blood donor mobilization. She informed the audience about URCS’s unique auxiliary role and the benefits of blood donation.
Ms. Mutegombwa concluded by requesting the Kingdom leadership, through Owek. Counsel Luganda, to expedite the formalization of a long-term partnership between the two entities. She emphasized that this partnership would ensure smooth operations and strategic planning, ultimately enhancing efforts to bridge the country’s blood gap more effectively.