What is red, liquid and knows no nationality?
The answer of course is blood – something none of us can live without.
For many years the Turkish Red Crescent has been running a social responsibility project to encourage people to donate blood. It is called the “Safe Blood Supply Programme”. I was delighted this year that British and Turkish staff members of the British Consulate General in Istanbul volunteered to contribute to the campaign. The Turkish Red Crescent Sancaktepe Branch responded enthusiastically.
Result: on 21 March the Turkish Red Crescent organised a mobile blood collection at the British Consulate-General in Istanbul so that volunteers could contribute to the Red Crescent Safe Blood Supply Programme. Over a couple of hours, volunteers contributed 70 units of blood – a terrific outcome.
The Turkish Red Crescent tell us this was the first time they had organised a joint blood donation campaign with a foreign mission in Turkey. We are pleased to have been able to help; and to have signed a protocol on future co-operation.
There are a lot of myths around about blood, including the daft idea that the blood of some people is in some way different from, or better than, that of other people. I’ll be pleased if this small initiative in Istanbul can help remind us all that blood is a precious commodity which knows no national boundaries.