On 27th of August 2022, thousands of people across 27 countries came together to donate blood on a single day through the #GlobalBloodHeroes campaign. Volunteers in New Zealand kicked off the blood drive as the day began and the final donations came in from the West Coast of the United States of America. Today, we are delighted to confirm that together we have broken the world record for the largest blood drive in history.
Authenticated by the Official World Records, the total number of blood donations was 37,018, beating the previous record of 34,723 set in 2020. With up to 3 lives saved per donation, over 110,000 lives could be saved by the campaign’s efforts.
Muntazir Rai, Director of Who is Hussain, said: “Who is Hussain was founded just over a decade ago, inspired by the compassionate legacy of Hussain ibn Ali.
It’s incredible to think that the selfless altruism of this man, who lived over a thousand years ago, has inspired over 37,000 people to participate in the biggest blood drive in history.
“The pandemic hit blood reserves across the world hard. With hospitals struggling to meet demands, Who is Hussain volunteers rallied together and launched our Global Blood Heroes campaign. Donating blood is a universal act of compassion that can unite people all around the world – we all bleed the same. We’re so excited that so many first-time donors came forward and many have committed to donating again, and will continue to, hopefully, for years to come.”
In the wake of the pandemic, the UK’s NHS announced blood reserves were almost half the level they should be, declaring that 100,000 new donors were needed to meet rising demand. Likewise, the US reported the worst blood shortage they’ve experienced in a decade with the Red Cross announcing the first-ever national blood crisis. In June this year, Australia saw blood reserves fall to critical levels, with just 2 days’ worth of supply left. In India, recent studies showed that almost 12,000 people die yearly because of a lack of blood supplies. Similar struggles to meet blood demands are seen all over the world.
The Global Blood Heroes campaign saw large numbers of first-time donors take part; with 50% of donations in Canada and 25% in the UK coming from those giving blood for the very first time. Through widening access and combating myths and stereotypes, the campaign was particularly successful in encouraging Black, Asian and ethnic minority background donors to come forward, many also for the first time.
On 22 September 2023, our efforts earnt us the ‘Big Impact’ Award at the 2023 Third Sector Awards. The awarding panel had the following to say on the achievement:
“Despite the small size of this organisation, they have achieved something that is remarkable – inspiring others to give blood including those from BAME communities.”
“It was really impressive to see a clear plan of action, how to generate funds to get their mission off the ground and how they were able to persuade so many people to get involved.”
