Community Organising Pilot to Increase Blood Donation in Black African and Caribbean Communities in South London

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NHS Blood & Transplant awarded a contract to The Sickle Cell Society for a community organising pilot in South London to promote blood donation among black African and Caribbean communities.

The pilot aimed to develop and empower thirty people to form a voluntary collective of advocates who would promote blood donation and recruit at least 1,700 new donors from these communities.

The initiative addressed the need for 40,000 more black African and black Caribbean donors to meet growing demand for better-matched blood and a special subtype more common in black people, as only 1% of blood donors in England are black.

The pilot tested the theory that community empowerment and development focusing on one-to-one relationships and capacity building would address health inequalities and help recruit blood donors.

The contract value was £55,000.