Lately, many witnessed a flood of alarming messages and posts on several social media platforms about the blood shortage that our country is suffering from. Blood banks and blood donation sites issued alerts while coronavirus cases increased. The necessity for a national campaign and mobilization of several authorities and departments was perceived as mandatory to support a sector that is going through unprecedented challenges.
With regard to the current circumstances, Rotaract club at AUI takes the lead and announces the launch of its “Blood Challenge”. The initiative consists of going to the nearest blood transfusion center in the city you live in, donating blood, and posting a picture of yourself, including the hashtag “#RC_AUI_Blood_Challenge”. Several cities were shared on the club’s Instagram page such as Casablanca, Rabat, Kenitra, Fes, Meknès, Marrakech, and Tangier. Additionally, the club emphasizes on the importance of sanitary measures to avoid the spread of coronavirus, matching the efforts of the blood donation centers in the aforementioned cities.
In this context, our team interviewed AUI Rotaract‘s board members about the “Blood Challenge” and its mission.
Walid Lamrini, the current President of Rotaract AUI, states that the club’s goals are to carry on the momentum and continue serving the community through several social initiatives. The club’s advisor, Mohamed Amine Ouamira, adds that Rotaract’s objective is to create links between people willing to help others from all around Morocco.
“This initiative has always been organized by different Rotaract-affiliated clubs in several universities, but the current situation made it a must for AUI Rotaract to organize it.”
Mohammed Amine Ouamira, Advisor of AUI Rotaract club
In previous years, the blood donations benefitted the region of Ifrane and the Atlas only. However, the current health crisis revealed the shortage of blood reserves in many other regions. As a result, the club decided to launch a national campaign.
In fact, this initiative came as a quick response to blood banks’ cry for help. The club displayed several locations where citizens can head to and donate.
Exclusively, Walid Lamrini informed us about the club’s intention to organize blood drives in Ifrane. To illustrate, one station will be positioned in the center of the city during the 9th, 10th, and 11th of September, and another one will be held on campus during the first week of classes, 23rd, 24th, 25th of September. Negotiations are still ongoing with the authorities of Ifrane with the support of Adel Kamane, Student Life & Athletics Director at AUI, and Adnane Guennoun, Physician and Health Center Manager at AUI.
It is important to mention that this initiative was organized in coordination with the national Rotaract Maroc. The latter highlights the importance of raising awareness with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic and blood donations.
Taking into account the global health crisis, the club is working on a protocol similar to the one applied in national centers. Flyers will be distributed inside the campus and the COVID-19 task force will be invited to supervise the whole event, ensuring that all measures are well maintained. Furthermore, the club insists on the fact that they are conducting their activities safely while maintaining all the sanitary measures established by the Moroccan government.
Regarding the restrictions to donating, it is important to note that donors must have not given blood for the past 3 months, must not have any chronic diseases, and must be 18 years old minimum. Moreover, these donations enable contributors to have a free blood test and they will be able to retract the results after two weeks.
Blood donations are essential during a pandemic. Let’s mobilize our community and contribute to saving thousands of lives.
