Red journey – Working together to build a humane community

The Red Journey Program – Connecting Vietnamese bloodline has been held for more than a decade in provinces and cities across the country. It has created a far-reaching influence, attracting a large number of people from all walks of life to donate blood for the health of the community.

Volunteers donate blood at the Red Journey in Lang Son province in 2023

This is the largest blood donation program of the year, first held in 2013, this is an effective solution to overcome the shortage of blood in treatment and emergency every summer. With flexible organizational methods, diverse blood donation propaganda and series of practical and meaningful activities, the Red Journey has created a spreading effect, gradually building a humane community.

Various forms of propaganda

Determining that propaganda  is a decisive factor for the success of the Red Journey, therefore, from the beginning of the year, the Provincial Red Cross Society has advised the Provincial Steering Committee for voluntary blood donation to send a plan to agencies, units, districts and Lang Son city asking for accompanying the organization of the Red Journey. At the same time, the Provincial Red Cross Society cooperated with central and local press agencies to propagate before, during and after the Red Journey. Accordingly, in 10 years, there have been over 200 news, articles and reportages about the organization of the Red Journey, recording the blood donation day and recognizing the units and individuals with typical achievements in the organization, support and donation of blood at the Red Journey posted on the mass media.

Additionally, the recruitment and training of volunteers also received great attention from Provincial Red Cross Society. Accordingly, in 10 years of the Red Journey, the Society has recruited and trained more than 800 volunteer on blood knowledge and blood transfusion safety, hemophilia, theory of behavior change, communication about blood donation, experience of organization and propaganda at blood donation locations, self-image management, first aid skills, community living skills, teamwork…

The training program has provided basic knowledge and skills for volunteers to become the core coordinators participating in building and developing the local blood donation movement in general and the Red Journey in particular. Thereby, the volunteer force has opened nearly 300 propaganda campaigns on blood donation at residential areas, markets, parks, schools, supermarkets, localities responding to the Red Journey and distributed about 38,000 leaflets about voluntary blood donation and hemophilia.

Many types of propaganda in the campaign of blood donation has attracted officials, civil servants, public employees, workers, armed forces and people from all walks of life to the blood donation movement in general and the Red Journey in particular.

Volunteers of the Red Journey march to propagate and mobilize voluntary blood donation in Lang Son city

Strong spreading power

Mr. Pham Hai Nam, Hoang Van Thu ward, Lang Son city has been a volunteer of the Red Journey for 8 years in Lang Son and donated blood at the Red Journey 8 times, shared: “I am a volunteer of the Red Journey in Lang Son since 2015. After the organization of each Red Journey, I have gained more knowledge and skills in blood donation propaganda and mobilization and the value of blood donated for patients. Therefore, it motivates me to donate blood and encourage my friends and family members to participate in blood donation.”

With the same enthusiasm as Mr. Nam, Mr. Hoang Van Khoa, Chairman of Gia Loc Commune People’s Committee has donated blood 11 times and encouraged over 300 other officials, civil servants and union members to participate in blood donation. Mr. Khoa said: “Since 2018, the Steering Committee for blood donation of Chi Lang district has responded to the organization of the Red Journey. After the volunteers of the Red Journey provided people in residential areas, commune and towns in the district with the information of blood donation, they understand about the Red Journey in particular and the blood donation movement in general. I set an example of blood donation for officials and people to follow. Thereby, in recent years, Gia Loc has always met and exceeded the blood donation target. On average, each year, there are always 30-50 people in the commune participating in blood donation, reaching 110-120%.

Additionally, in recent years, blood donation movement of the province has increasingly developed in both quality and quantity. Many agencies and units have not only accompanied the Red Journey, but also organized their own regular blood donation day. Specifically, Blood Donation Day of the provincial police force has been organized for 4 years (2020 – 2023); Provincial Post Office organized Blood Donation Day in 2020 and 2022; Provincial Labor Confederation organized its own Blood Donation Day for civil servants, public employees, trade union members and workers; the health sector also organized its own Blood Donation Day … The blood donation movement has become an activity that connects and spreads human values to every citizen. It is the enthusiastic participation of units and individuals that have contributed to bringing lives to patients and realizing their dreams in need of blood transfusion.

Ms. Nong Bich Thuan, President of the Provincial Red Cross Society, said: “The Red Journey has contributed to bringing life to hundreds of thousands of patients, helping the health sector overcome many difficulties and challenges in taking care and protecting the health of the people. Especially during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic on a large scale, Lang Son still organized Red Journey. It was a safe and successful blood donation day, noble deeds and drops of red blood were donated to patients and helping them overcome the crisis. Moreover, the Red Journey not only contributes to raising the awareness of tens of thousands of people about blood donation, it also arouses the love for compatriots, beautified the proud tradition of “mutual love and affection” of our nation and work together to build a humane community.”

Impressive numbers

The Red Journey in 2023 took place from June 1 to July 30 with the participation of 46 provinces/cities. After 2 months, the Red Journey in 2023 has organized 68 official blood donation locations and 240 responsive blood donation locations, receiving a total of 115,000 blood units. In 11 years of organization, the Red Journey has taken place in 58/63 provinces/cities, successfully organized 2,653 blood donation locations, receiving a total of over 810,000 blood units. After 11 years of organization, the Red Journey has completed 5 main goals, including creating a large communication campaign from central to local level; meeting the blood demand for treatment, improving the quality of blood donation encouragement and reception; coordinating the collection and supply of blood nationwide and spreading the spirit of kindness, love, and responsibility for the health of the community.

In Lang Son, the Red Journey has been organized since 2014 and continued until 2023. In 10 years of organizing the Red Journey, in Lang Son, 9 units, districts and Lang Son city have responded to the program and have been able to organize 30 blood donation days, typically Cao Loc, Loc Binh, Chi Lang, Huu Lung districts…, Lang Son city and received a total of 14,355 blood units.

Assessing the effectiveness of the organization and the spread of the Red Journey in Lang Son in the past 10 years, Mr. Le Lam, Deputy Head of the Central Organization Committee of the Red Journey, Deputy Director of the Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion said: “Lang Son is one of six provinces and cities organizing the Red Journey for 10 consecutive years. The number of participants registering to donate blood and the units of blood received at the Red Journey the following year was higher than that of the previous year. Compared with other provinces and cities in the country, through annual Red Journeys, the number of blood units received is not that high, but there has been a clear change. People from all walks of life have understood about their responsibility for the blood donation movement for public health.

For example, the Red Journey in 2014 in Lang Son received 305 blood units, by 2023, this number was 2,113 blood units (up 6.9 times). The number of blood recipients in the whole year also increased. As in 2014, the whole province received only 1,855 blood units, by 2022, this number was over 10,200 blood units. The number of people participating in blood donation accounted for 1.2% of the total population of the province and gradually met the amount of blood for treatment and emergency patients at hospitals and medical centers in the province.

Ms. Nong Bich Thuan, President of the Provincial Red Cross Society added: “Promoting the results achieved at the Red Journey in particular and the blood donation movement in general in Lang Son, we will continue to advise the Steering Committee for blood donation encouragement to organize the Red Journey and respond to the blood donation programs launched by the central government. At the same time, we will direct our smaller units to continue to review the units and individuals with typical achievements in the blood donation movement in general and the Red Journey in particular in order to honor and reward them in a timely manner. Thereby, it will create motivation and encourage organizations, units and individuals to actively participate in blood donation.

Going through the journey of connecting red hearts, the Red Journey – Connecting Vietnamese bloodline has considerably developed, becoming a meaningful and humane movement for public health. Hopefully, the Red Journey will reach further and grow even more in the coming years.