This archive report was first published on 18 November 2021.
On November 18, 2021, the Methodist Church of Tana River made a significant donation to the Hola Referral Hospital, providing 90 units of blood to support patients in need of blood transfusions.
The blood was collected from church members, schools, and the local market as part of the church's health and wholeness program, which promotes physical, mental, spiritual, and social health.
According to Hiribae Wario, Laboratory Manager at the Hola Referral Hospital, the blood was collected from all blood groups except for negative types.
However, the hospital could have collected more blood if it weren't for the fear of using students' study time, as they were in the midst of completing their syllabus affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in the learning institutions they visited.
Salati Semi, Head of the Methodist Church Tana River circuit, appealed to the people of Tana River to embrace the culture of blood donation to assist patients who are often transferred to neighboring counties due to a lack of blood.
"We want to reduce the number of referrals to Malindi and Mombasa for blood. It is our duty as a church to practice our civic duty to our fellow Kenyans," said Salati Semi.