On November 4-5, Lviv and Odesa cities hosted a free blood type determination campaign provided by DonorUA. 50 citizens joined the event at the Athena Gallery shopping center In Odesa. 115 people found out their blood type at the Victoria Gardens shopping center in Lviv. The event was held as part of the all-Ukrainian project "My Blood Type/WWB".

Blood types were determined by using the innovative EldonCard method, which takes 2-3 minutes and does not require full medical education from service providers.

"The full-scale invasion has shown that you have to be prepared for anything. It is important to know your blood type to get help in time in case of danger - civilians are not immune to Russian shelling in any part of Ukraine. However, we hope this knowledge will be useful in other ways and will inspire Lviv and Odesa residents to donate blood. Blood of any group can save lives, although many Ukrainians still do not think that it can be shared," comments Iryna Slavinska, co-founder of DonorUA and President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Blood Donors of Ukraine.

The "My Blood Type" project is being implemented by DonorUA in cooperation with the Operation SafeDrop initiative of the MAD Foundation and Eldon Biologicals, which produces EldonCard test systems.

For reference:

DonorUA is NGO and the only professional digital system for recruiting and navigating blood donors in Ukraine. It supports the work of 22 blood centers, cooperates with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, EU institutions, WHO, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Global Blood Fund. More than 7,000 patients have received targeted help through the platform, and it takes no more than 20 minutes to find a donor for a specific patient.

Operation SafeDrop is a project of the MAD Foundation aimed at supporting Ukraine and people here. The initiative covers such areas as civilian evacuation, humanitarian aid, assistance to communities in building shelters, restoration of critical infrastructure after the war, and free blood group determination throughout Ukraine.

Eldon Biologicals is a Danish manufacturer of EldonCard blood group test cards. The testing system is based on the use of special formulations of selected monoclonal antibodies. EldonCard tests are ISO-certified and CE-marked in the EU, approved by the FDA in the USA and registered with the relevant authorities in a number of other countries. Eldon Biologicals also holds the distinction of being an approved NATO vendor.