Volunteers From Home and Abroad Donate Blood to Save Sick Kids in Shanghai

Over 100 volunteers from home and abroad took part in a community blood donation campaign for young patients at Shanghai Children's Hospital on Saturday, ahead of International Children's Day on June 1.

This campaign has become a regular charity activity in the city. Many patients, including children, rely on blood transfusions due to blood disorders, tumors, trauma and burns. As blood cannot be artificially manufactured, voluntary donation remains the only supply source.

Local blood service authorities have partnered with various social organizations to encourage blood donation. Bloodline, a branch of the Voluntary Blood Donation Service Corps of the Shanghai Blood Center and a team of expat volunteers, has been actively involved in this program since 2021.

Many foreign nationals traveled to Shanghai Children's Hospital to donate blood or work as volunteers for the event.

Daniela Essenpreis from Germany has lived in Shanghai for seven years, and this is her fourth time donating blood in the city.

"Blood donation is important, and we should donate blood every time possibly," she said.

Christos Pavlidis from Greece attended the event with his wife and infant child. He has resided in Shanghai for a year and a half, and this marks his first blood donation in the city.

"This is my first time donating blood in China, though I have done so many times in Europe. Blood donation costs nothing, yet it can make a real difference to people in need," he remarked.