Indian blood donation project grows in South Africa

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Article published in newkerala.com, India

September 21, 2004URL: http://athens-olympics-2004.newkerala.com/?action=fullnews&id=32299

 

 

Indian blood donation project grows in South Africa[World News] Johannesburg,

Sep 21 : The World Blood Donation Day, initiated by Indian spiritual leader

Satya Sai Baba, has grown by more than 20 percent annually since it was started

in South Africa a decade ago."After being inaugurated by Sri Satya Sai Baba in

India, the concept spread all over the world," Sini Subrayen, public relations

officer of South African Blood Transfusion Service (SABT), told IANS."In South

Africa, it started out in the (mainly Indian) suburb of Lenasia, but after

teaming up with the SABT, we have seen the project grow in all major cities in

South Africa."Besides the regular blood donors who support us on this all-day

event held on the third Sunday of September each year, we encourage each of

them to bring a friend along, resulting in increased

donations."Although the support over the years has been largely from South

African Indians, in recent years blood donation camps have also been set up in

areas formerly occupied by whites in the apartheid era, as many Indians have

moved to these areas.This year there were 10 camps set up across greater

Johannesburg, with three of them in mainly Indian areas. The three areas,

Lenasia, Lenasia South and Mayfair, each delivered more than double the units

of the other areas, showing again, as in the past, that the great number of Sai

devotees from there played a major role.The three top camps helped beat the

target for the day of 600 units by over 25 percent after a total of 755 units

were collected.--Indo-Asian News Service

 

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