Pr ximus helps to save lives!
Red Cross global campaign on the importance of donating blood
For a few days, the letter O has been missing from the Pr ximus sign on top of the head office, in the company shops, and on the website. This is because Proximus is taking part in the global Missing Type campaign, running in 21 countries, in which the letters A, B and O temporarily disappear from public view. Today, it turned out that the Red Cross was behind this campaign and that the missing letters refer to blood types: because you only miss something when it's gone. And that's also the case with blood: the Red Cross is always looking for new blood donors.
New blood needed
The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness about blood types and also find new donors.
Blood is vital to patients, whether they are victims of an accident, undergo complications during surgery, or need blood due to illness or serious injury. Worldwide, three blood transfusions are needed daily: 54% of the donated blood is used to treat medical conditions and blood disorders, 33% is used in surgery, 5% after births, and 11% for other reasons such as road accidents.
Sooner or later, 70% of the population will need blood, yet only 3% actually give blood. In 2016, more than 50,000 new donors are needed to maintain the stock of each blood type. Indeed, the slogan of the campaign is:
ec me ne f ur life s vers. Give l d!
(Become one of our life savers. Give blood!)
Anyone between the ages of 18 and 66, who is in good health, is eligible to become a donor (see Donor self test Red Cross).
Proximus does its bit
Proximus didn't hesitate to back the campaign. It also invited its employees to actively support the campaign on social media by losing the letters A, B and O from their accounts and by sharing the posts and tweets of the Red Cross. This way, they can really help spread the message. What's more, Proximus encourages its employees to donate blood in great numbers, at the office or in any of the locations indicated by the Red Cross (see Schedule of Red Cross blood donations).