For the preparations of the World Blood Donor Day, 14 June 2016, WHO is working with Sanquin, the national blood supply organization from the Netherlands. As a global campaign, some streets of Lisbon, Portugal, were transformed into scenes from around the world celebrating the value of blood donation and emphasizing the concept of the 2016 campaign theme "Blood connects us all". These are photos from the video scenes highlighting stories of people whose lives have been saved through blood donation, to motivate regular blood donors to continue giving blood.
WHO/C. Bailey
A blood donor - a superhero
The graffiti of a superhero, drawn on the wall of a building in Lisbon, Portugal, was used as a backdrop for the World Blood Donor Day video. One of the key messages of the campaign is to celebrate and to thank the blood donors who regularly give blood and save lives.
WHO/C. Bailey
Turning Lisbon into Africa
A scene from a southern country was created in Lisbon, Portugal, by laying the red clay dust in the street, to be used as a place where 2 strangers meet not knowing that one of them is the blood donor and the other is the recipient whose life was saved. The 2016 World Blood Donor Day's slogan "Share life, give blood" draws attention to important role blood donation plays in encouraging people to care for one another.
WHO/C. Bailey
Who is our superhero?
This is the street, where the blood donor and recipient connect to each other. WHO recommends collection of blood, plasma and other blood components from regular, voluntary, unpaid donors through the strengthening of donation systems.
Sanquin/I. Sikkema
The boys loved being on the video
The boy is wondering whether the superhero in front of him was the one who saved his life. In high-income countries, blood transfusion is most commonly used for supportive care in cardiovascular surgery, transplant surgery, massive trauma, and therapy for solid and haematological malignancies. In low- and middle-income countries, it is used more often to manage pregnancy-related complications and severe childhood anaemia.
Sanquin/I. Sikkema
The star waits for his entrance
This is the scene where the blood donor and the recipient meet in a magical moment of connection. Both the donor and the recipient are from the same community. The video highlights the importance of community participation for a sufficient, safe and sustainable blood supply.
Sanquin/I. Sikkema
Creating Asia in Lisbon
A room at the natural history museum was turned into a gallery to create Asia scene. In the video, the butterfly lands on the shoulder of the blood donor symbolizing gratitude to voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts.
WHO/C. Bailey
The gallery comes to life
The guard at the natural history museum, a graphic designer by profession, plays the role of the mysterious blood donor. About 108 million blood donations are collected worldwide. More than half of these are collected in high-income countries, home to 18% of the world’s population.
Face in the crowd
She is wondering who in the crowd might be that mysterious stranger who saved her life. Transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures.
WHO/C. Bailey
