Donner Sang Compter: Blood Unity

On the Day of Ashura (September 10th), and in observance with an ancient religious ritual, members of the Shiite Muslim Community in Lebanon, engage in mass blood-letting marches to honor Hussein Ibn Ali, grandson of the prophet Muhammad. But in Lebanon, currently experiencing political strife, there is no central blood bank. Patients have to rely on their relatives to find blood in times of need, sometimes from private donors or in some cases, from the black market. In their desperation, families have to scramble to find willing donors, usually via social media or on radio channels’ news bulletins. This year, under the new banner of ‘Blood Unity’, Donner Sang Compter (DSC) managed to mobilise Imams (religious leaders), hospitals, local NGOs’(Who is Hussein), and volunteers, to encourage believers to donate their blood instead of spilling it. This campaign not only brought the message about voluntary blood donation to new audiences, but also provided increased opportunities for blood donation sessions in the community at mobile as well as at static sites, achieving over 400% increase in blood donations, a new national record. On the Day of Ashura, we got Imams to talk about the campaign on social media, and even to actively participate in diverting crowds from blood spilling parades to blood donation stations, provided by Donner Sang Compter. DSC’s blood donation trucks were stationed at the epicenter of the parade, and passersby were given guidance on how blood donation could become an alternative and more positive way of demonstrating the sacrifice. DSC’s ‘Blood Unity’ call for participation was displayed on prominent outdoor billboard sites, banners, flags, armbands and social media posts with almost no media spend. What’s more, the campaign was discussed and covered by the three biggest local TV networks on prime-time news, as well as actively endorsed by the top leaders of the Shiaa community.