The ZimboLove Foundation, founded by media personality Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa, is a place where Zimbabweans and those who love Zimbabwe, find small ways to make big changes to Zimbabwean lives. The Foundation’s first calling is to raise awareness of the lack of and high cost of blood in Zimbabwe.
At best, a pint of blood can go for $147.00 in public institutions and on average, patients need 2 pints of blood at a time. Many patients die unable to afford this necessity, sold at a price that makes it seem like a luxury. There is a justification for the price of blood but it does not change the fact that the average Zimbabwean cannot afford three pints of blood to save their son who got injured in a road traffic accident, or a cancer patient, a haemophiliac, someone living with HIV or a mother in child birth. For this reason, ZimboLove hopes to make blood more affordable & accessible to everyone who needs it.
To raise awareness for the blood drive ZimboLove announced the #RedChilliChallenge. Speaking at the launch of the initiative Ruvheneko said, “We will be utilising social media as a means to get as much blood and raise as much money as possible in the fastest way possible”. Social media has proven to be incredibly powerful, with the success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, started in the USA and was trending worldwide in 3 weeks and raised $6 million dollars in 3 weeks.
The challenge will work as follows. Participants should record themselves eating fresh red chilli and then nominate others to do the same. Each person who accepts the challenge is to record themselves doing it and post the video up on social media. “We hope this will go viral & begin to see the videos being shared online and via What’s App.” Parirenyatwa remarked.
Each person who accepts the challenge should accept it as well as donate $1 or more to the cause. If a person refuses to do the challenge, they can donate $5 or more to the initiative or go and donate a pint of blood at the National Blood Service of Zimbabwe. Public Affairs Manager for the National Blood Service Zimbabwe, Esther Masunda praised ZimboLove and welcomed this initiative.” We thank Ruvheneko and her team for coming up with an innovative approach in making blood more affordable. The money raised will go to the ZimboLove bank account at Parirenyatwa Hospital, where anyone needing blood and qualifies for the free allocation from ZimboLove, will be given,” she said.
This Thursday 12th of February ZimboLove will host a fundraiser at the Maestro Glasshouse. Individual tickets are $100.00 and a table of 10 is going for $800.00.
Blood donations at the NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICE of ZIMBABWE
Money donations through CBZ, ZimboLove Foundation, 02924054380013, Swift Code (COBZZWHAXXX) or MONEYGRAM and PAYNOW
Telecel Subscribers: Dial *888# and enter Merchant Code: 210884
Twitter: @ZimboLove
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ZimboLoveFoundation
