On Saturday, 2^nd December 2023, it was an honour and pleasure for me to donate 450 millilitres of my high quality Iteso blood. Yes, the maximum that the Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS) takes out of an individual at one go. As for me, I felt healthy enough to have given more, but it is not medically advised to do so.

In order to fulfil my wish to give more, I was advised to become a regular blood donor. This I promise to become and to do as part of my 2024 goals – donate blood at least twice in a year, but if it is feasible, do so four times a year. I can and I will!

“Safe blood saves lives,” is the UBTS slogan. Yes, if my 450 millilitres of blood that I donated are determined safe, which I am confident shall be the case, I will contribute in saving not only one life, but a total of three human lives.

Thanks to Pride of Entebbe (@PrideofEntebbe on X) who organised and arranged for UBTS to come and collect blood donations alongside the festivities of the Lake Victoria School alumni “Home Coming.” I hope that Pride Entebbe will continue to regularly facilitate blood donation alongside its many fabulous events in Entebbe. Whenever they will do, if it is possible, I will make a blood donation.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations on who can donate blood, I still have a decade during which, age-wise, I qualify to donate blood. One can donate blood:

“When you are aged between 18 and 65; and fulfill the physical and hematological criteria required.

In some countries legislation permits 16-17 years old to donate; and in some countries, regular donors over the age of 65 may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician. The upper age limit in some countries is 60 years.”

World Health Organisation

However, according to the upper age limit set by UBTS for Uganda, I am disqualified, age-wise, from donating blood. UBTS has set an upper age limit of 50 years for blood donors. So, when I was told this, I pleaded with the medical personnel present that my blood was good quality still and they should allow for me to donate.

My lay person’s rationale is that, after all, it will be tested and proven so. And besides, aside from the age requirement, I fulfill all the other WHO basic requirements for one to donate blood, including but not limited to:

• You meet the minimum haemoglobin level for blood donation.
• You weigh at least 50 kg.
• You are in good health.
• You do not have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection.
• You have not recently (in six months period) had a tattoo or body piercing. 
• You are not engaged in “at risk” sexual activity in the past 12 months.
• You have never had a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus).
• You have never injected recreational drugs.

Click here to read more on WHO requirements on who can give blood.

Going forward, our organisation, CPAR Uganda Ltd, a nonprofit company, which I head as Managing Director, will nurture relations especially with my fellow female alumni of Lake Victoria School to promote Blood Donation in Entebbe.

This we will do within the context of our wider CPAR Uganda mission to train and mentor young people to possess an attitude of self-reliance; the requisite will and skill to innovate and initiate interventions that cause positive change in their respective communities.

In this particular context, CPAR Uganda, in partnership with Lake Victoria School alumni, will focus on running education campaigns on what one can do to be of good health, meeting the requirements for one to be a blood donor.

Our CPAR Uganda campaigns will include, but are not limited to nutrition and hygiene and with a particular focus on menstrual hygiene. Please take a few minutes to visit and learn more about how we plan to do so on our project page “Let’s Talk Menstruation and Disposal of Pads.” Thank you.