Save Mothers & Children with Safe Blood in Mali

Between February and May 2026, the project “No More Death Due to Blood Shortage in Rural Areas” successfully continued the implementation of the “3 Zero Initiative” in the Yanfolila Health District, with the following objectives:

• Zero deaths due to blood shortages;
• Zero medical evacuations caused by lack of blood products;
• Zero blood stock-outs.

With the support of donors and partners, the project significantly strengthened access to safe blood at the Yanfolila Referral Health Center (CSRéf), while also promoting community mobilization, prevention of transmissible diseases, and support to local health facilities.

During this reporting period:

• 462 blood donors were mobilized and screened;
• 411 safe blood units were collected;
• 363 blood requests were fully covered;
• 226 patients received free blood transfusions;
• Zero blood stock-outs were recorded;
• Zero deaths and zero medical evacuations related to blood shortages occurred.

These achievements demonstrate the project’s direct contribution to saving lives, especially among pregnant women, children, and emergency patients living in rural communities.

2. Key Achievements

a. Full Coverage of Blood Product Needs

The project ensured the continuous availability of safe blood products at the Yanfolila Referral Health Center.

Cumulative Results (February – May 2026)

Indicators

Results

Donors mobilized and screened: 462

Safe blood units collected: 411

Blood requests recorded: 363

Patients transfused free of charge: 226

Blood needs coverage: 100%

Blood stock-outs: 0

Deaths due to blood shortage: 0

Medical evacuations due to blood shortage: 0

 As a result, all patients requiring transfusion services received timely and free care. This continuous blood availability significantly strengthened emergency healthcare services in the Yanfolila Health District.

The project particularly benefited:

• Women experiencing obstetric hemorrhage;
• Children suffering from severe anemia;
• Accident and emergency patients;
• Patients requiring surgical interventions.

b. Reduction and Prevention of Transmissible Diseases

Beyond improving access to blood, the project actively contributed to public health protection through systematic donor screening.

Cumulative Screening Results

Diseases Screened

Positive Cases Detected

Hepatitis B: 32

Hepatitis C: 9

Syphilis: 3

HIV: 0

Total Positive Cases Detected: 44

All individuals who tested positive received:

• Counseling and awareness support;
• Referral to appropriate healthcare services for follow-up and treatment.

This approach contributes not only to ensuring safe blood transfusion services but also to strengthening community-level disease surveillance and prevention in rural areas.

c. Community Awareness and Mobilization

Community engagement remains one of the project’s strongest pillars.

Activities Conducted

• 12 radio broadcasts promoting voluntary blood donation;
• More than 146 awareness materials disseminated through social media and local communication platforms (videos, posters, educational messages);
• Regular community mobilization campaigns conducted in villages, neighborhoods, and public spaces;
• A combined awareness and blood donation campaign organized at the Yanfolila Public High School.

These communication activities contributed to:

• Increased understanding of voluntary blood donation;
• Reduced misconceptions regarding blood transfusion;
• Increased participation of voluntary blood donors.

d. Special Campaign at Yanfolila Public High School

A special integrated awareness and blood donation campaign was conducted at the Yanfolila Public High School.

Topics Covered

• Transmissible diseases;
• Importance of voluntary blood donation;
• Blood transfusion safety;
• Youth engagement in saving lives.

Results

• 106 blood units collected;
• 92 safe blood units secured;
• 88 blood requests covered;
• 41 patients transfused.  

This activity played a critical role in engaging young people in community lifesaving efforts while strengthening the culture of voluntary blood donation.

e. Support to Health Facilities

To ensure continuity and quality of transfusion services, the project directly supported the Yanfolila Referral Health Center through:

• Provision of blood collection supplies;
• Provision of biological screening materials;
• Provision of transfusion-related medical supplies.

This support contributed to improving:

• Accessibility of transfusion services;
• Quality of patient care;
• Emergency response capacity at the local level.

f. Partnerships and Collaborations

During this period, the project strengthened efforts to build partnerships with:

• Local organizations;
• Foundations;
• Technical and financial partners;
• Community stakeholders.

Several partnership proposals and collaboration initiatives were developed to support:

• Project sustainability;
• Expansion of activities;
• Strengthening local capacities.

3. Cost of Activities Implemented

Activities

Amount (FCFA)

Blood collection and processing: 3,837,600

Transfusion supplies: 137

Radio broadcasts: 120

Administrative costs: 315

Special campaign at Yanfolila Public High School: 1,525,200

Grand Total: 5,934,800 FCFA

 4. Challenges Encountered

Despite the progress achieved, several challenges remain:

• Limited technical and financial partnerships;
• Resource mobilization constraints;
• Increasing demand for blood products;
• High costs of medical supplies and consumables;
• Logistical challenges in rural areas.

5. Recommendations

To ensure continuity and future expansion of the project, the following recommendations are proposed:

• Strengthen blood replacement mechanisms to prevent shortages;
• Organize additional mobile blood donation campaigns;
• Develop sustainable technical and financial partnerships;
• Expand community awareness and mobilization activities;
• Mobilize additional funding to address increasing needs;
• Gradually extend the “3 Zero Initiative” to other rural districts.

6. Conclusion

The project “No More Death Due to Blood Shortage in Rural Areas” continues to generate a significant positive impact on rural healthcare in the Yanfolila Health District.

Thanks to the support of donors and partners of GlobalGiving, hundreds of lives were protected through:

• Continuous availability of safe blood;
• Free access to blood transfusion services;
• Strong community mobilization;
• Improved transfusion safety.

Sustaining and expanding this initiative remains essential to protecting vulnerable rural populations and reducing preventable deaths caused by blood shortages.

• PROJECT_REPORT.pdf (PDF)
  

This year, the project (Initiative 3 Zero at CSRef in Yanfolila), aimed at reducing deaths due to blood shortages in rural areas, was implemented with a limited scope of activities due to funding constraints between June and November 2025 in the district of Yanfolila. Thanks to the support of our partners and the commitment of the community, we were able to continue our mission by ensuring a free and regular supply of blood products to patients. This phase demonstrated the effectiveness of our community-based model for blood collection, management, and distribution. It eliminated shortages, improved patient care, prevented communicable diseases, and strengthened community mobilization around blood donation.

1. Complete coverage of blood product needs

One of the main results of this phase is 100% coverage of blood product needs at the Yanfolila Reference Health Center.

• 1,023 donors mobilized and sampled (community campaigns, parental and voluntary donations).
• 872 healthy blood bags for 843 requested at the CSRéf during this period;
• Zero blood product shortages during this period;

Result: Every patient in need of a transfusion was able to receive one without delay, thus ensuring continuity and improving the quality of care.

2. Significant improvement in patient care

Rapid and reliable access to blood products transformed medical care in response to an emergency situation that endangered the lives of many patients.

• Coverage of the blood product needs of 584 patients;
• 206 children under the age of 5 suffering from severe anemia saved thanks to free transfusions.
• Coverage of blood product needs for 179 women in obstetric emergencies (anemia/pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage, cesarean section, abortions, ectopic pregnancy, etc.) for a total of 289 blood transfusion requests;
• Zero deaths and zero referrals or evacuations due to blood shortages.

Result: The immediate availability of blood saved lives, reduced medical complications, and strengthened community confidence in the local health system.

3. Reduction and prevention of communicable diseases

The project is not limited to providing blood: it also contributes to protecting public health through systematic screening of donors.

• 1,023 donors were screened free of charge for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis.
• 139 positive cases were detected, including:

o   110 cases of hepatitis B

o   17 cases of hepatitis C

o   11 cases of syphilis

o   1 case of HIV

All positive donors were counseled and referred to specialized services for treatment.

• Result: In addition to providing safe blood, the project actively contributes to the surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases in the community.

4. Community awareness and mobilization

The success of the project depends on the active participation of the community during this phase:

• 24 radio programs were broadcast to promote blood donation.
• More than 150 pieces of content (videos, posters, messages) were shared on social media and local platforms.
• Regular information, education, and mobilization campaigns were organized in neighborhoods, villages, and public places.
• Two blood collection campaigns were organized, resulting in the collection of 62 blood bags.

Result: A better understanding of blood donation as a civic duty that saves lives and the continued mobilization of new volunteer donors.

5. Provision of medical supplies and support to the Yanfolila CSRéf.

To ensure continuity of supply, the RSPP provided the health center with essential supplies for blood collection, screening, and transfusion.

Supplies provided between June and November 2025:

• 1,150 blood bags
• 900 transfusion sets
• 5 grouping kits
• 9 boxes of 100 EDTA tubes
• 5 boxes of Determine HIV tests
• 31 boxes of syphilis tests (40 tests each)
• 34 boxes of hepatitis B tests (40 tests each)
• 31 boxes of hepatitis C tests (40 tests each)

Result: This intervention enabled patients to access safe blood products free of charge, thereby strengthening the center's

NB: It should be noted that we received support from the sectoral unit for the fight against HIV, which directly supplied the reference health center laboratories with Determine tests (HIV tests) for the systematic screening of blood donors.  

The implementation during this first quater costed 5 896 000 FCFA (11,792 USD) with 4 395 USD collected on GlobalGiving.

1. Sustainability and community ownership

Building on its community roots, the RSPP has set up a local commission dedicated to seeking funding for the reappropriation and sustainability of the achievements of the 3 Zero Initiative project. This commission brings together all stakeholders in the Yanfolila circle: administrative, health, judicial, traditional, and religious authorities, civil society, youth and women's associations. Since the launch of this second phase, it has been actively working to strengthen ownership of the project through awareness-raising activities and the mobilization of financial resources within the community, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project's achievements.

As of November 30, 2025, the committee had already collected 420,000 CFA francs (840 USD) from local figures and services to support the continuation of the project.

Result: The community is gradually taking ownership of the 3 Zero Initiative, ensuring sustainability beyond the current phase.

1. CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED

Despite these positive results, several challenges remain:

• Insufficient funding limits our ability to fully implement planned activities, including training volunteer blood donors on safe donation practices and volunteering, training frontline health workers on anemia management and referral/evacuation systems to prevent anemia-related complications, reduce transfusion needs, and decrease the burden of maternal and infant deaths related to delayed care, as well as expanding the project and strengthening logistical capacities.
• Limited storage capacity: blood products are currently stored in a single functional refrigerator, which poses a risk to product availability and quality.
• Lack of a digital blood management system: this makes it difficult to track blood-related actions at different levels, limits the ability to anticipate shortages, and complicates the real-time management of donor and patient information.

1. Conclusion and call to action

The 3 Zeros Initiative has already produced undeniable results in Yanfolila, helping to save hundreds of lives through improved access to blood products and better health services. However, continuing and expanding these gains requires increased support. Every contribution counts, and together we can work to ensure that no one in Yanfolila is at risk of losing their life due to a lack of sufficient blood supplies.

With your support, we can go further: expand the project to other rural areas, increase storage capacity, train more volunteer donors, and ensure that no more lives are lost due to blood shortages.

Every contribution counts. Let's take action together. Let's ensure that no one loses their life due to a lack of blood in Mali.

Links:

• https://rspp-ml.org/initiative-3-zero/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/r%C3%A9seau-sant%C3%A9-au-premier-plan-924801310/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_peop