Our History
Safe Blood for Africa™
Foundation was founded by Jeff Busch in 1999. Mr. Busch has witnessed first
hand the preventable suffering of patients who do not have access to blood
for emergency transfusions, and has seen the life saving impact of safe
blood transfusions, particularly for critically ill children in women who
need blood as a consequence of complications of pregnancy and the victims
of trauma. Mr. Busch realized that with suitable and safe testing laboratories,
donor centers and transfusion services, combined with a well-trained and
dedicated staff, tens of millions of African lives could be saved.
Jeff Busch has dedicated
the past 9 years of his life to motivating government agencies, private
sponsors and funding organizations to contribute the resources to build
a safe and adequate blood supply in African countries. Resources are needed
for appropriate laboratory testing facilities, blood donor centers equipment,
and to recruit and retain experts to provide training for blood transfusion
staff in African countries.
Safe Blood for Africa™ Foundation is working in collaboration with other organizations who support blood safety or who are mandated to provide a framework for developing blood transfusion services along best practice standards for the countries of Africa. Safe Blood for Africa Foundation works in consultation and collaboration with USAID, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the World Health Organization (WHO), ExxonMobil Corporation and many individual experts who have decades of experience in this highly specialized field.
Safe Blood for Africa™ Foundation
is currently providing technical assistance and or training to blood service
staff in Nigeria, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Angola, Malawi, Equatorial
Guinea and Cameroon and has provided specialized training in Voluntary Non
Remunerated Blood Donor Recruitment programs for blood donor staff from
more than 27 different countries. Worldwide experience has shown that Voluntary
Non Remunerated (unpaid) Blood Donors who donate blood regularly are the
safest blood donors, and this applies equally in Africa.
In addition, Safe Blood for Africa
Foundation supports innovative programs such as the African Club 25 Society
for young people. (www.africanclub25society.org) Safe Blood for Africa has
also launched the One Million African Lives Initiative with NBA superstar
Emeka Okafor, which aims to leverage the charitable support of U.S. sporting
celebrities into saving lives through providing the test kits, material
resources and strategies for a safe blood supply. Please visit the One Million
African Lives website at www.onemillionafricanlives.org)
