Bucharest, June 27, 2018 – The blood transfusion center in Sibiu was modernized during the 2017-2018 phase of the „A chance for life” program, implemented under the partnership between the Vodafone Romania Foundation and the “React” Association. The rehabilitation project of the center included renovating the spaces stretching along the donor’s route, covering a total area of approximately 500 sq.m., the renovation of the building roof and the fitting of the center with blood harvest chairs. The funding provided by the Vodafone Romania Foundation to the Sibiu project amounted to almost 24,600 lei.
The center in Sibiu, which operates in a space built 60 years ago, is directly providing for six hospitals in Sibiu county, from where the harvested blood is send also to transfusion centers in other areas of the country. Last year, more than 10,000 people donated blood at the Sibiu center, with the number of patients receiving blood and blood products reaching over 27,000.
The Sibiu project is the second center completed in the current stage of the „A Chance for Life” program after the one recently finalized at the Satu Mare Blood Transfusion Center. This last stage of the program includes, as a whole, the renovation and upgrading of the donor’s route from 24 blood transfusion centers out of the 42 centers existing across the country. The first 18 centers have gone through this process over the period 2014-2016. After renovating and equipping the centers with medical furniture and equipment, the number of blood donors and of the patients benefiting from the nationwide improvements is estimated to reach nearly 1,260,000 in total.
„A Chance for Life” program was launched in 2008, with Vodafone Romania’s total funding amounting to nearly 1 million euros. Soon after its launch, the program became the largest national blood donation program in Romania. The program started with several annual information and education actions, designed to raise awareness of the importance of voluntary and regular blood donation and continued with several mobile blood donation campaigns, conducted in public places, university campuses and at corporate headquarters. In 2014, the program expanded by the addition of the component dedicated to refurbishing and equipping the blood transfusion centers with specific medical equipment. The Bucharest Blood Transfusion Center, the largest in Romania, was the first to benefit from this program.
As a result of the „A Chance for Life” program, blood transfusion centers in Romania recorded in 2016 a decrease in the national average age of blood donors, for the first time since 1989. Currently, 30% of the blood donated at national level comes from young donors.
The Vodafone Romania Foundation is a Romanian nongovernmental charitable organization, established in 1998, which operates separately and independently from the Vodafone Romania SA’s business. During its 20 years of activity, Vodafone Romania Foundation has funded 1,104 programs run by 706 NGOs throughout the country, in the fields of healthcare, education and social services. These projects had a total of 2.7 million beneficiaries – children, young and old people and physically, socially or economically disadvantaged people. So far, Vodafone Romania has invested over 28 million euros in projects run by nonprofit partner organizations. More details about the Foundation’s programs are available at www.Fundația-vodafone.ro, http://jurnaldebine.Fundația-vodafone.ro/ and www.facebook.com/Fundațiavodafone
The React Association is a non-governmental organization that significantly participates in the development of the four pillars of any prosperous community: health, education, social economy and community development. The projects implemented by the Association are bringing major changes for the better in people’s lives, thanks to tailored interventions and active involvement. During the eleven years of existence, almost 1 million Romanians have benefited, directly or indirectly, from the activities run by the React Association. The positive impact of its projects is acknowledged by the 18 national and international prizes of excellence it has been awarded so far, which places the Association among the non-governmental organizations in Romania, winners of the largest number of prizes.
