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Heroes and Defence Forces holidays.
It aims to collect at least 5 170 units of blood in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Traffic Safety Council and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

The campaign is running under the theme “Decade of action for road safety, be a part of it by donating blood and help save victims of road traffic accidents.”
The month of August has become synonymous with traffic accidents and traffic police are carrying out their awareness campaigns.
NBSZ public relations manager Ms Es-ther Masunda said eight awareness points had been established countrywide to enable more donors to give blood.

“We have seen it fit to have such points in major cities and towns for the benefit of the public.
“This is a period when we experience a lot of accidents and saving life is a task, which needs combined efforts and we urge members of the public to complement such efforts for us to have a better Zimbabwe,” she said.

Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe product development and marketing manager, Mr Ernest Muchena, urged motorists to exercise caution on the road.
“This is the time of the year we appeal to motorists to exercise extreme caution on the road.
“A number of accidents are realised during this time and we are calling on all motorists to take into account all road safety instructions to save life,” he said.

The adult human body contains roughly 12 units of blood. It is estimated that only four out of 1 000 people donate blood in Zimbabwe.
The national blood bank usually stocks between 1500 and 2000 units, representing approximately seven days’ supply.

The NBSZ gets 70 percent of blood collections from youths and the balance from adults.
There is high demand for blood during national holidays as many people are injured in road accidents.