Indian Community Mobilises Jinja, Buikwe Factories as Blood Drive Targets 10,000 Units

JINJA — Factories and private companies in Jinja and Buikwe are being drawn into Uganda’s blood collection effort as health officials seek alternative sources of donors during periods when schools—the country’s major blood-donation centres—are closed.

The shift has placed industrial workplaces at the centre of a campaign seeking to collect 10,000 units of blood across the two districts.

The campaign, organised by the Indian community in Jinja and Buikwe in partnership with the Busoga Regional Blood Bank, was launched at Yogi Steel Company and is being extended to factories and companies in the region. Organisers say about half of the targeted factories have already been reached.

For the Busoga Regional Blood Bank, the workplace campaign is not simply about increasing the number of donors. It is also a response to a recurring gap in Uganda’s blood collection calendar.

Emmanuel Nasimolo of the Busoga Regional Blood Bank said schools normally make a significant contribution to blood collections, but their availability drops during holidays. Private companies therefore provide an important alternative source of donors.

“That is why we engage partners like companies to help us meet the numbers we need,” Nasimolo said.

The approach is already producing participation among industrial workers, with companies such as Victoria Group joining the exercise as part of their community support activities.

Caroline Ikome, the company’s corporate affairs representative, said maintaining blood supplies close to communities could be particularly important in emergencies involving pregnant women.

She noted that when blood is unavailable locally, patients may have to seek treatment in Kampala, potentially adding a difficult journey to an already urgent medical situation.

The campaign’s 10,000-unit goal is considerably higher than the 3,000-unit target used in previous campaigns, according to Gurcharan Singh, joint secretary of the Indian community.

Singh said the response from workers had been encouraging as the exercise moves from one factory to another.

The campaign comes against a wider need for sustained blood collection in Uganda. BAPS Charities Uganda, working with Indian associations and Uganda Blood Transfusion Services, reported that a separate nationwide donation exercise held on September 13 collected 807 units from eight centres, including Jinja, highlighting the continuing role of organised community and institutional drives.

For organisers in Jinja and Buikwe, the immediate challenge is therefore not only reaching the 10,000-unit target but keeping workplaces involved as regular contributors to the region’s blood supply.

Ripson Kennedy, secretary of the Indian community in Jinja, has called on more factories and their workers to participate in the exercise.

As the campaign continues, industrial workers are taking on a role traditionally associated with school-based blood drives—helping keep the supply chain moving when one of Uganda’s most important donor groups is unavailable.

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