Over the weekend, foreigners in Durres, Tirana, Vlore, and Saranda donated blood to help alleviate the national shortage in Albania.
The event was organized by Alice Taylor with help from a small team of foreign women based in Tirana, Durres, Vlora, and Sarande.
On Friday, a group of foreign residents originally from Ukraine, Brazil, the US, and Fiji donated blood and were thanked by President Ilir Meta who visited the donation center. The group was organized with help from Vlora resident Francine Talei Wong who also runs Green Vlora, a grassroots activist group focused on environmental issues in the area.
Wong said it was hard to get people together as many were sick or anemic, others were infected with COVID, but many expressed they would donate in the future. She added that donating blood is one of the most direct forms of humanitarian assistance one can offer and a key part of being human.
In Saranda, Shawn Simons from the NGO Shatervan Idesh which works hard in the city to provide help to stray animals and also provide help to vulnerable communities helped to organize the local event.
She brought together a group of almost 30 foreigners from countries such as the US, New Zealand, Mexico, the UK, Germany, Scotland, and even Albania.
Simons said that she and her husband who have lived here for over two years have donated blood twice in that time.
“When Alice contacted me to help, I didn’t even think twice. We know things in Albania are always teetering on the edge of a shortage and that the nurses and phlebotomists who take blood are professional with a light touch.”
She said there were two main obstacles when trying to motivate donors, the bad weather being one of them. Due to years of experience organizing events back in the US, Simons said that through amplifying the message and throwing in a little incentive (a free bloody mary cocktail and live music at a local bar afterward) she managed to get a good crowd together.
In Tirana, Niki Doci a life and leadership coach and facilitator of the International Friends in Tirana said that giving blood is such an easy way to save lives.
“In less than 20 minutes and without much effort on my part, I make a difference. It’s easy to promote such a good cause. I will continue to encourage others to donate any time they can.”
She added that a relatively low turnout was most likely hampered by the bad weather conditions. Staff at the center in Tirana said that they thought the location of the center in Laprake may also put people off. They said they are happy to change the location in the future for organized drives.
In Durres, efforts were carried out with help from Tanja Balliu, a Russian lawyer and translator living in Albania. While only a couple of people braved the weather to donate, organizers remained optimistic that attention had been drawn to the cause and this might encourage people in the future.
“Some people were working online and it was difficult for them to get out and donate, but others had been infected with COVID meaning they couldn’t donate,” she said.
Balliu added that donating blood is something everyone can do to contribute something useful to society.
The effort was organized by Alice Taylor as a response to the national shortage that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Albania already struggles with blood donations as just 1% of the population gives blood regularly. Annually, the country meets only half of its requirement for donated blood. But the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and fears over going to hospitals or coming into contact with doctors have seen the situation get even worse.
In Saranda, Lushnje, and Fier where there is a higher than average prevalence of thalassemia, clinics are turning away patients including young children. These individuals need transfusions every two weeks but depleted stocks mean they are going three weeks, four weeks, or even longer at significant risk to their health.
The events aimed to show that donating blood is safe and easy and that it is a duty that foreigners and Albanians alike should be willing to take on.
Taylor said during a show dedicated to the cause on MCN “We live in Albania and enjoy everything the country has to offer, it’s nice to give something back. Giving blood is so easy by can save up to three lives.”
Simons added that people were generally very happy to help Albania during a time of need and that donors turned up with smiles, ready to go. President Meta also visited Saranda on donation da and was interested in the large ex-pat community in the city.
“I feel super proud of our community and for the turnout, Everyone who donated left feeling as if they had made a difference, and they had,” she said.
In terms of the cause, Taylor said she wants to keep the momentum going and work on more projects to encourage a blood donation culture in the country.
“Watch this space”, she said.
