By Kainoelani Lee
By Kainoelani Lee
Rabat – The United States Embassy in Rabat held its 15th annual blood drive on Wednesday.
The embassy organized the blood drive as a way to give back to the local community and had scheduled the event to meet the very urgent annual need for blood donations before Ramadan begins. Ramadan marks the ninth month of the Islamic year, where strict fasting from sunrise to sunset occurs. Ramadan will begin June 5, 2016 and is scheduled to end on July 5, 2016.
This blood drive is conducted annually in response to the national blood shortage in Morocco, where initially, the National Center for Blood Transfusion made an urgent request, calling on Moroccan citizens for blood donations on the need for blood in certain cities in Morocco.
The U.S. Embassy of Rabat reported that nearly two thirds of its personnel participated in the blood drive and donations. Even U.S. Ambassador, Dwight L. Bush, and his wife participated in donating their blood.
In total, the U.S. Embassy of Rabat was able to collect a whopping 35 liters of blood.
If you haven’t donated blood recently, and would like to, the U.S. Embassy of Rabat encourages contacting the National Center for Transfusion to locate and learn about blood drives in your local community.
Further contact information for the blood drives/donations:
Centre national de transfusion Sanguine, Public Health Department
Address: Madinat Al Irfane, Rabat, Morocco. Phone:+212 5377-74993
