Bloody Serious – BeMSA Belgium

Name of the activity: Bloody Serious

Country/NMO: BeMSA Belgium

Program: Health Systems

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: Continuous Activity

Category: Third-party Activity

Focus area: Organ, stem-cell and tissue donation

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 17 (Partnerships)

General description:

Every semester we build blood donation centres on different campuses to reach as many students as possible. The centres are built by volunteering students in crowded areas on campus. The donation specific material and personnel are provided by the Red Cross.

Students are encouraged to take an online quiz to see whether they are eligible for donation. Afterwards they can book an appointment online, the tool provided by the Red Cross checks for past donations.

Problem statement:

The Red Cross manages blood donation in Belgium. However with the COVID-19 pandemic and an ageing population the blood supply has become more unpredictable. With Bloedserieus we want to lower the barrier for students to donate by hosting blood collections on campus. 

Target groups:

• Medical students
• Healthcare Students
• Other Students

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Medical students
• Healthcare Students
• Other Students
• Doctors
• Other health professionals

Objectives:

To conduct blood donation drives at one of the on campus locations every semester (every 4 months) 

To conduct 3 educational instagram campaigns a year about blood donation

To make 3 facebook events a year about blood donation

Indicators:

Every 4 months, 300 students successfully donate blood at one of the on campus locations. 

Our educational instagram stories get 150 views each 

Our facebook events have 200 people interested

Methodology:

On campus Blood Donation, organised by medical students in collaboration with the Flemish Red Cross. 

Timeline: (1) electing our team for the year in July and August (2) first contact with the Red Cross in early september (3) securing a location and emailing companies for goodies in late september (4) setting up the site two days before the event (5) repeating the project in March/April (6) end of the year evaluation

Leadership:

– Administration and external representation by NPO and Program Coördinator 

– Logistical support by LPO

– Creative and executive work by project managers  

Resources: 

– The Red Cross

– Companies providing freebies to fill the goodie-bags 

Risk management:

Risks are estimated, assessed and limited by the Local Executive boards (insurance is provided nationaly)

Plans for evaluation:

– Quantitative assessment of the amount of donations received per 4 months 

– Quantitative assessment of the instagram and facebook engagement 

– Qualitative assessment through a joint, evaluation meeting between the project managers, the LPO’s and NPO. 

– Photographic evidence provided by the PR assistant 

External collaborations:

– The Red Cross

– Companies providing freebies to fill the goodie-bags (for example: noodles, balpoint pens, biscuits, healthy fruit bars)