The Health Campaign was a project led by Project Director Sandhya Gopaul last 17th July, on the premises of Shoprite. This project was a first at JCI Curepipe, the purpose being firstly, a Blood Donation for the Thalassaemia and Haemophilia Association in Mauritius and a free Dental check up for mainly children of the SOS Village found in Beau-Bassin. You will find pictures of this event here on our picasa online album. At the end of the day, JCI Curepipe was able to collect nearly 60 pints of blood…well done team!! Deepika shares with us her thoughts on the project in the article below…

Blood, the gift of life. This winter I took part in the JCI Blood Donation Event, which was part of the Health Awareness Campaign, a project that aims at bringing about a positive change in our community by promoting a healthier way of life. In short, “being better”.

Distributing leaflets, inciting the crowd to donate their blood, and welcoming donors into the caravan, I felt a sense of purpose. I had to draw upon my communication skills to convince people to give blood and save a life, and also open my heart to the mass to inspire compassion and generosity, and stirring a sense of duty towards each others.

Being part and promoting that selfless act, I realize how deep our humanity runs into our own consciousness, in our veins, and how human hearts can beat in unison as one world one humanity, the great bond of blood.

I was also given an opportunity to widen my own knowledge and raise awareness about blood illnesses like Thalassemia and Hemophilia. It would be impossible for people suffering from such genetic diseases to sustain their lives without people donating blood everyday. Often we tend to believe that blood donation assists only people in need of blood during surgery, that their families could provide for them, but this is far from being true; every single day, there are people who requires other’s blood, their very life depends on it.

At the end of the day, I was exhausted and yet I felt fulfilled, I knew I had accomplished something for which I would not get any recognition other than knowing that today I helped save lives. I sat and I watched, the smiles upon the face of everyone in my JCI family; the oneness in the air, it gave me hope, to trust in humanity.

Deepika Ramkoosalsing