Blood donation

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Empress Shōken Fund announces grants in 2025 to support Red Cross and Red Crescent projects in 17 countries

The Joint Commission of the Empress Shōken Fund (ESF) has announced a new distribution of funds, totalling 502,578 Swiss francs, which will support 16 projects run by 17 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The commission is administered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).The projects chosen cover a variety of issues, including blood transfusion services, disaster preparedness, first aid and rescue, health, youth and National Society development.The countries where the projects are being implemented are Afghanistan, Argentina, Angolajointly with Mozambique, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Fiji, Ghana, Guatemala, Jordan, Morocco, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Trinidad and Tobago and Zambia.The ESF received 63 applications over the last year for the 104th distribution of income, representing the largest number of applications ever received.In 2024, the ESF strengthened its pipeline of innovation initiatives by enhancing the rigour of its application, review and learning processes. This was done by introducing an innovation framework, making the selection criteria clearer, using innovation experts for assessments and promoting structured experimentation to enable more impactful, replicable solutions across the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.As a result of these enhancements, the quality of applications in 2024 improved significantly, with proposals demonstrating greater innovation, clarity and alignment with the Movement’s priorities.This upward trend confirms the value of ESF’s reinforced focus on innovation, experimentation and learning, and it highlights the ongoing need to support National Societies as they test and scale up new approaches to increase the impact of their humanitarian projects.With a total value of over 15 million Swiss francs, the ESF supports projects run by National Societies that benefit the communities they serve in many different ways. The first ESF grant was awarded in 1921 to help five European National Societies fight the spread of tuberculosis.Since then, over16 million Swiss francs has been allocated to 175 National Societies.The grants are announced every year on 11April, the anniversary of the death of Her Majesty Empress Shōken, one of the founders of the Japanese Red Cross Society.2025 grantsBlood donation and first aidFiji: Digital blood donation platformFiji struggles with maintaining stable blood supplies due to logistical gaps and low donor engagement. This initiative creates a mobile app that will help the National Society manage donors, improve communication and gamify the donation experience. As Fiji’s first digital blood management tool, it will revolutionize outreach and retention of blood donors. With many small island states facing similar challenges, the app-based solution is a promising, replicable model.Slovakia: First aid digital educationSlovakia has one of the lowest levels of first aid knowledge in Europe, leading to thousands of preventable deaths. This initiative introduces the first free digital first aid training app and course in the country, making life-saving knowledge accessible and engaging. Its innovation lies in removing cost and access barriers through interactive learning. The tools are digital by design and can be shared or adapted widely across Europe.Disaster preparedness and responseAngola and Mozambique: Peer-to-peer disaster responseThis initiative marks the first peer-to-peer learning initiative between two Portuguese-speaking National Societies – Angola and Mozambique – in which each National Society will build on the strengths of the other to co-develop disaster-preparedness systems. Facing frequent emergencies and limited coordination mechanisms, this initiative introduces shared procedures, a joint volunteer tracking system and collaborative training workshops. It sets a precedent for mutual capacity strengthening and cross-border cooperation, offering a scalable and replicable model for other linguistic or regional partnerships.Trinidad and Tobago: Drones and geographical information systems for disaster preparednessFlood-prone rural communities lack risk data and real-time early warning systems. This initiative empowers them with drones and geographical information systems technology for local hazard mapping, training community resilience groups to lead disaster planning. It is the first initiative of its kind in the country and places cutting-edge technology in the hands of local actors. The model is well positioned for replication in small island and disaster-prone areas globally.Health and hygieneAfghanistan: Integrated TB/HIV screening at mental health centreIn Afghanistan, mental health patients are often excluded from mainstream TB/HIV health services, increasing the risk of outbreaks. This initiative fills that gap by integrating screening within a Red Crescent mental health centre, complemented by staff training and stigma reduction campaigns. The innovation lies in combining mental and infectious disease services under one roof, with strong potential for replication across other health centres and conflict settings.Argentina: Mental health and gambling preventionWith online gambling addiction surging among teens, this youth-led initiative tackles a growing mental health crisis through research, prevention education and advocacy. This is Argentina’s first national study on adolescent gambling, and uniquely integrates youth participation at all levels. The mix of data-driven policy work and peer-led awareness offers a model that can be applied in other countries facing similar digital addiction trends.Guatemala: Healthy life, healthy communityWith dengue cases surging, volunteers in Guatemala are unprepared to respond effectively. This initiative trains volunteers in prevention and equips them to lead micro-projects and clean-up campaigns. The innovative element is the initiative’s use of volunteers as community health educators and action leaders, supported by digital tools for tracking. The model’s grassroots structure makes it easy to replicate in other vector-borne disease hotspots.Somalia: Soap factory initiativePoor hygiene infrastructure and reliance on costly hygiene-related imports leave Somali communities vulnerable to preventable diseases. This initiative sets up a volunteer-run soap factory to produce affordable hygiene products locally. The initiative is innovative in how it fuses local manufacturing with WASH programme delivery and community engagement. The small-scale, volunteer-led model is ideal for replication across Somalia and in other resource-constrained settings.Youth engagement and empowermentBosnia and Herzegovina: Climate action ambassadors fellowshipThis programme not only fills a leadership vacuum but directly counters youth emigration by giving young people a reason to stay engaged locally. With tools like a volunteer handbook and leadership camps, it systematizes climate-action learning. The success of this initiative opens pathways for replication by any National Society seeking to activate youth climate leadership.Jordan: Youth engagement and activity centreJordanian youth volunteers lack structured spaces and systems to coordinate humanitarian action, leading to low retention and missed opportunities. This initiative establishes a dedicated Youth Engagement Centre and a digital volunteer management system to professionalize and energize youth participation. It is the first of its kind in Jordan, combining physical space, tech and training to build a volunteer pipeline. With its modular set-up and digital backbone, it is highly replicable across National Societies seeking to scale up their impact for young people.Slovenia: Let’s Face the ClimateThe initiative addresses the lack of involvement of young people in climate programming by giving them tools and platforms to lead change. By integrating structured curricula with digital tools and advocacy channels, it makes climate action tangible and appealing to young people. The blended format – interactive learning and youth-led projects – offers a replicable strategy for youth mobilization across Europe and beyond.Livelihoods and economic empowermentEcuador: Gamified hydroponics for food securityFood insecurity and youth unemployment are growing in rural Ecuador, compounded by land and water scarcity. This initiative uses gamified learning to teach hydroponic farming – blending tech, nature and hands-on education. Its innovation lies in making sustainable agriculture fun and accessible, especially to young people. The approach is highly replicable, especially in areas facing similar climate and food system pressures.Morocco: Vocational skills for rural womenRural women in Bab Taza face high unemployment due to lack of formal education and skills training. This initiative will build a local training centre offering sewing, tailoring and marketing workshops to turn skills into sustainable income. It is innovative in how it bridges vocational skills with entrepreneurship and branding, setting women up for long-term independence. Its modular approach makes it adaptable for other rural areas across the region.Climate action and environmental sustainabilityGhana: The Green WomenRural communities in Ghana face worsening climate-related impacts, water scarcity and soil degradation, with women and young people often excluded from sustainable economic opportunities. This women-led initiative addresses the urgent need for climate-resilient agriculture by providing mobile solar irrigation, composting and tree planting. Its innovation lies in combining renewable technology with agroforestry and business skills, creating both environmental and economic resilience. With scalable solar irrigation units and replicable training modules, the project can be adapted across similar farming communities.Democratic Republic of the Congo: Green School BrigadeWith massive deforestation and limited environmental education, young people in the DRC are disconnected from climate action. This initiative activates school brigades to lead tree planting and environmental education, promoting youth volunteerism and long-term climate consciousness. It is innovative in how it embeds humanitarian values into environmental action at a school level, and is highly replicable across schools and provinces with basic resources and Red Cross Youth coordination.Zambia: Youth-driven sustainable waste managementRapid urbanization and poor waste management in Lusaka’s informal settlements create major health and climate risks, particularly for young people. This youth-led initiative tackles waste through recycling, composting and community awareness, while creating green jobs. Its innovation lies in linking environmental action with youth economic empowerment, supported by digital tools and local business partnerships. The model is community-driven and scalable to other urban areas across Africa.Read about the Empress Shôken Fund’s grant allocations in 2024.

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Vanuatu Earthquake: An ‘all hands on deck’ situation that brought helping hands from around the Pacific

Hours after the earthquake struck the main island of Efate on December 17, 2024, staff at Vanuatu’s Vila Central Hospital in the capital, Port Vila, were overwhelmed with more than 200 seriously injured and traumatised people seeking help to dress deep cuts and set broken bones.Earlier that day, Vanuatu Red Cross Society Secretary General Dickinson Tevi was hosting the year-end Christmas party for staff and their families when the ground started trembling and buckling.That was the moment when all present quickly realised that they were dealing with another major disaster, but one very different from the cyclones they were used to.Tevi jumped in his car to survey the extent of the damage and from the state of the roads and what he could see of the buildings, he realised the hospital was going to need all the help it could get.Indeed, the earthquake had badly damaged the hospital’s operating theatre, impacted parts of the main building and patients were already being evacuated. After about two hours, most phone connections stopped working.‘All hands on deck’In the meantime, hospital staff had no choice but to carry on as best they could despite the structural damage, quickly moving the emergency department outside for fear of building collapse. They set up a tent to tend to the wounded.One doctor who rushed back to help summed up the situation as “all hands on deck, we all knew it would be a mass casualty event”.Sadly, 14 fatalities were recorded as a result of the December 17 quake.Moving quickly, Tevi was able to mobilise a team of trained first-aid volunteers to work alongside the hospital’s stretched medical staff. Another Red Cross team was dispatched to help clean up supplies and equipment that had been tossed about by the quake and was cluttering up the storeroom.Crucially, in those first 24 hours, Vanuatu’s emergency response teams kicked into gear. Vanuatu’s Emergency Assistance Team (VANMAT) was deployed to treat injuries, perform emergency surgery and deliver babies.Many doctors and nurses left their families at home and stayed at the hospital to ensure that the injured were cared for and that services continued.New blood for recovery and long-term healthWithin days of the disaster, neighbouring governments stepped up their aid programmes as the extent of the earthquake’s impact became clearer. Specialised Emergency Medical Teams from the Asia Pacific — Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand and the Pasifika Medical Association Medical Assistance Team (PACMAT) — were brought in to fill critical gaps.One of those gaps was the hospital’s blood bank service. The hospital’s acting blood lab manager, Dexter Takao, approached Tevi for help.The Vanuatu Red Cross had already conducted two blood-awareness sessions, as well as donor drives, to ensure the hospital’s doctors could rely on the supply. Meanwhile, the Australian Red Cross, in partnership with the Vanuatu Red Cross, had been tasked with delivering shelter services and supplies, as well as first aid and non-food items.To help fill the gap in the hospital’s blood processing capabilities, the Australian Red Cross’ Lifeblood service quickly responded with equipment and supplies for the overworked blood bank staff. The new blood-processing equipment meant that blood-bank staff no longer had to rely on time-consuming manual collection.The new blood cell washer or centrifuge improves the safety and quality of blood transfusions by cross matching blood and cell antibody types. Other donated items include much needed thermometers, scales and measurement tools.“These machines and supplies will enable us to re-establish blood transfusions and ensure the safety of donations,” said George Junior Pakea, who leads a team responsible for making sure there is enough donated blood to cover emergency and regular needs, among other things.The new equipment will play an important in people’s recovery from the quake and in ongoing health services. “Thanks to the speedy arrival of the Red Cross equipment, we can reduce the turnaround time for the preparation of blood transfusions for conditions like anaemia and mothers who haemorrhage after childbirth, as well as patients undergoing heart surgery,” he said. “We are looking forward to working together with Vanuatu Red Cross to promote community awareness and increase blood donor numbers to ensure we have enough blood to meet our needs.”Connectivity is crucial: ‘IT in a box’The New Zealand Red Cross also responded quickly, launching an emergency appeal the day after the quake that allowed them to support emergency relief efforts, including temporary shelter, food, water, healthcare, protection, psychological services and restoration of communication networks.With additional support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the New Zealand Red Cross also sent two informational technology and telecommunications specialists to ensure the Vanuatu Red Cross’s IT and communications systems remained operational when they were needed most.The team was able to build on work done in June 2024 by the New Zealand Red Cross’s Information Technology and Telecommunications Emergency Response Unit, which had helped to completely upgrade the Vanuatu Red Cross IT systems.The upgrade centered around a unique system called “IT-in-a-Box,” an innovative mobile solution designed for Pacific conditions.“We collaborated really well with local civil engineers,”says John Moriarty, who led the team along with IT specialist Chris Harrison. “With their expertise, we identified the safest working space, and where the IT-in-a-Box could be safely located in the Vanuatu Red Cross national office. We were very pleased with the IT-in-a-Box's ability to withstand the impacts of the earthquake,”“Vanuatu Red Cross staff’s warmth, dedication, and commitment to humanitarian service was truly inspiring,” he added. “It was truly rewarding to apply our technical expertise in direct support of humanitarian efforts in the wake of this crisis."On the global level, the IFRC launched an emergency appeal seeking to raise 5 million Swiss Francs to support the Vanuatu Red Cross Society’s urgent relief efforts to provide shelter, clean water, medical aid, and recovery.The IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund also provided an immediate loan to the appeal of CHF 750,000 to support rapid response in the most impacted areas.

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World Blood Donor Day: He used to ‘run from giving blood’ due to a severe phobia of needles. Now he’s a champion of blood donorship.

For 43-year-old Ademola Gaffar, birthdays have always been more about giving than receiving. Every year, he marks his birthday by giving something incredibly valuable — his blood.At his latest birthday, on 2 March, he made his 50th blood donation and, at the same time, he encouraged 50 other people to do the same. He called it “Project 50/50: Blood.”Known as “coordinator emeritus” at the Lagos State Branch of the Nigerian Red Cross, due to his long work as a youth coordinator, he became a Red Cross volunteer in secondary school. As a first-aid volunteer and trainer, he saw firsthand why blood is so critical during emergencies.For a long time, however, he was afraid of giving blood due to a strong phobia of needles. So how did someone who says he once “ran from giving blood” become one of Nigeria’s biggest blood donorship champions? We decided to ask him why does it, how he beat his phobia and how many more times he expects to again give blood.Question: Why do you do it? What does it mean to you to give blood? Ademola Gaffar: Donating blood can save someone’s life. So it's a pleasure to feel that you can give just some of your blood and it will save another person's life.I guess one never knows how many lives, or whose livees, one might save?Actually, a unit of blood has the capacity of saving three lives. For me, It’s very satisfying to be part of a humanitarian network that has saved so many people's lives.Have you seen firsthand how people need blood during emergencies?From secondary school days, I was trained on first aid and I have trained many young people on first-aid. Anytime there is an emergency, we see how people lose blood then they are involved in accidents.Apart from giving first aid and taking people to the hospital, you can see the need for blood to survive what they’re going through. This is why I also mobilize young volunteers to also give blood.So you’ve given blood 50 times, yes?Initially, my target was to donate 25 times, and later, I had this lifetime target of donating 50 times. On the 2nd of March this year, I made my 50th donation and on that very day, I was able to also mobilize and encourage 50 young people to donate.How did you do it?Through social media, with my Facebook page, my Instagram page, WhatsApp. And since then, I donated one more time. So I’ve actually donated blood 51 times now.How far will you go? Are you going for 100?Well, I still feel strong. And I believe that my my system is okay with it. The Lagos State blood transmission service and other transition service, always checked your health status and see if you are fit to donate. So as long as I am capable to donate, I will.When was your first blood donation? My first blood generation was in 2008. Before then I actually ran away from donating blood, because of a phobia of needles.But then in college, because of what I read about blood donation, I learned that not only does blood donation save lives, it can actually be good for you. I can be good for your cardiovascular health. And I was then the state coordinator for the youth wing of the Lagos State Branch of the Nigeria Red Cross and I had a programme where I needed to encourage young people to join in blood donation. So I had to start leading by example.How did you deal with the phobia? Do you still have a fear of the needle?I told myself that I needed the courage, because what I want to do is more important than the phobia. Now I help other young people to break the phobia. In youth cams, for example, we do sensitization for blood donation. I will be giving blood, and the needle is going into my skin, there’s blood coming out, and I am full of smiles. That way, young peoplresee that and they say ‘Oh, I can do that’ and they join.ResourcesLearn more about blood donation services offered by Red Cross and Red Cresceent National Societies.

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Blood donation

The IFRC supports our 191 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to deliver and promote safe and sustainable blood programmes around the world. Together, we supported more than 22 million people to donate bloodin 2022.

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Ecuadorian Red Cross calls on the population to donate blood in times of pandemic

By Olivia AcostaThe Ecuadorian Red Cross is a key player in the collection and supply of safe blood in the country, covering 70% of the demand for clinics and hospitals in 24 provincial boards. In order to respond to this need, it is essential to involve people in donating blood, which means a great effort to communicate and raise awareness among citizens.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voluntary blood donation in Ecuador has decreased dramatically putting the country's supply at risk. Now more than ever, the Ecuadorian Red Cross has asked citizens not to stop donating to avoid blood shortages, and has activated a campaign to ensure blood supply.According to Monica Pesantez, Manager of the National Blood Center of the Ecuadorian Red Cross, blood stocks in the country have been greatly reduced due to COVID-19 emergency: the collection fell by 78% in April (from 18,000 donors per month to 4,420).  In view of this situation, an awareness campaign was launched encouraging donors to make use of the home service, which offers all the safety guarantees required by the World Health Organization.Marco Herdoiza, Technical Director of the Ecuadorian Red Cross National Blood Centre, states that "The Red Cross wants to provide donors with all the necessary security that this situation requires. For people who prefer not to go to the donation centres, the institution collects the donors from their own homes and then takes them back, with all the necessary security measures ensured throughout the process". In addition, blood donation is also being offered at home with a mobile unit to prevent donors from going out into the street and exposing themselves to the risk of contagion.From March 14 to June 30, 30,000 whole blood donations have been obtained from the processing of different blood products. In the month of June, with the home collection and the communication campaign underway, it was possible to grow by 200% (from 4,420 to 13,384 blood donors)Many people need blood to replace large blood losses in surgery, trauma, gastrointestinal bleeding, childbirth, and cancer treatments, among others. In Ecuador only 1.4% of the population donates blood. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) establishes that in order to meet blood needs, at least 2 to 5% of the population must donate blood.Ecuador is the fourth Latin American country, along with Colombia, Brazil and Argentina, to have a blood center. Thanks to the management and initiative of the Ecuadorian Red Cross, the center was inaugurated on November 5, 2009. The purpose of the Hemocenter is, on the one hand, to centralize blood screening in order to guarantee a unique quality under national and international standards, and on the other hand, to decentralize donation in order to reach 100% of voluntary blood donors and a national coverage of the demand for blood products.

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Lebanon Protests: Red Cross volunteers continue supporting people in need

Since the nationwide mass protests started in Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross teams have been on the ground providing life-saving support to people affected. To date, more than 12,965 people have been assisted. To help the Red Cross to cope with the needs, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has released over 380,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. The Red Cross has a country-wide network of around 12,000 volunteers, and a thousand of them have been mobilized daily all over Lebanon. The Red Cross teams have treated hundreds of people on the site of the protests, while more critical cases have been transported to hospitals. Due to the unrest and road blockages, civilian cars have not been able to reach hospitals in many places. With 165 of its ambulances and other vehicles mobilized, the Red Cross has also provided medical transportation to hospitals to dialysis and cancer patients as well as others in need of urgent treatment. “Since day one of the protests, we have been responding to around 3500 emergencies all over the country in addition to our regular, ongoing services. So far, we have supported around 8000 people affected by the situation. Our volunteers are well known and respected because of their neutrality, impartiality and commitment to serve humanity. We will remain on high alert and continue to support people in need”, says Georges Kettaneh, Lebanese Red Cross Secretary General. The Lebanese Red Cross Blood Transfusion Centres have also scaled up their services. Over one thousand blood units have been provided and distributed to hospitals all over the country.

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