Sharjah 24: Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work praised blood donors efforts and humanitarian role in saving people whose lives depend on a drop of blood. The blood donors were honoured in the Board of Trustees meeting held in conjunction with the World Blood Donor Day, declared by the United Nations and takes place on 14 June each year to raise social awareness.

Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Hammadi, Secretary-General of the Award’s Board of Trustees, stressed the award’s keenness to honour blood donors annually, as they are one of the Award’s main categories, pointing out that the award works to consolidate the concept of volunteer work and social responsibility, through its various categories and programmes.

Al Hammadi explained that 86 blood donors received the Sharjah Award Voluntary Work in the blood donation category, from the third session in 2005 to the 17th session in 2020. He added the Award believes that blood donation is important in promoting and consolidating the approach of social responsibility among community members who showed compassion and solidarity in different times and circumstances.

Al Hammadi noted that since the spread of the “Covid 19” was a significant challenge to blood donation in various countries of the world, especially in light of the measures of social distancing, home quarantine and movement restrictions, which led to a significant decrease in donors’ turnout at blood centres and banks.

The Award nomination criterion of the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work is totally voluntary with not monetary compensation; the donor must donate blood regularly 20 or more times during the previous years; they must present a certificate of nomination from the competent authority including the donated blood units, medical results should be negative according to the National Laboratory Diagnostics Programme, and should be free of any viral diseases.