The Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has launched a nationwide blood donation campaign targeting 3,000 units across its 15 operational territories to support patients who depend on timely access to safe blood for survival.
The campaign, organised in partnership with the Uganda Blood Transfusion Service (UBTS) and the Uganda Red Cross Society, forms part of UEDCL’s October Customer Experience Month activities, held under the theme “The Extra Mile.”
UEDCL Managing Director Eng. Joselynne Rwabwogo said the initiative reflects the company’s commitment to extending customer care beyond electricity distribution to improving the well-being of the communities it serves.
She urged eligible employees, customers and members of the public to participate, noting that blood donations can make the difference between life and death for patients requiring emergency medical care.
“By donating blood, you can help ensure that this essential resource is available in our country when lives depend on it,” Rwabwogo said.
She highlighted the importance of blood donations for mothers experiencing complications during childbirth, children suffering from severe anaemia and patients undergoing surgery, among other groups requiring blood transfusions.
“One of the easiest and most meaningful ways to save a life is through blood donation,” she said, encouraging Ugandans to embrace regular voluntary blood donation.
The campaign is being coordinated by UEDCL’s Customer Experience and Corporate Affairs teams in collaboration with territory managers, who are mobilising employees, customers and other community members across the country.
UEDCL said coordinated donation activities across its 15 operational territories would help the company achieve its target of collecting 3,000 units of blood.
Rwabwogo commended the teams organising the campaign and acknowledged UBTS and the Uganda Red Cross Society for partnering with UEDCL to strengthen the country’s blood supply.
She also called on employees to mobilise their families, friends and customers to participate, expressing hope that the initiative would become an annual tradition.
Representing the UBTS Executive Director, Mugisha commended UEDCL and its partners for supporting efforts to ensure an adequate blood supply for patients in need.
He reported that Uganda’s annual blood collection had increased from 460,000 to approximately 475,000 units, attributing the improvement to partnerships and the contributions of voluntary donors.
However, he called for sustained public participation to ensure blood remains available for medical emergencies, surgery, childbirth complications and patients with blood disorders.
Mugisha urged religious institutions, cultural leaders, Members of Parliament, corporate organisations and other community stakeholders to treat blood donation as a shared civic responsibility.
He emphasised that the need for blood cannot be eliminated entirely, even with improvements in healthcare and preventive services, making regular donations essential to sustaining transfusion services.
Uganda Red Cross Society Secretary General Robert Kwesiga also called for stronger partnerships and continuous community mobilisation to maintain a reliable blood supply.
Kwesiga said blood donation should be a year-round activity rather than an occasional exercise, urging organisations to integrate regular donation campaigns into their community engagement programmes.
He noted that bringing blood donation activities closer to workplaces, schools, religious institutions and other community settings would help broaden participation and strengthen national blood collection efforts.
Kwesiga commended UEDCL for extending its corporate social responsibility initiatives to a life-saving cause and reaffirmed the Uganda Red Cross Society’s commitment to continued collaboration with the company and other partners.
Beyond the blood donation campaign, UEDCL said it remains committed to improving the quality and reliability of electricity supply through distribution network strengthening, substation upgrades, refurbishment of distribution lines and improvements in response times.
Rwabwogo said these interventions are intended to reduce power interruptions, improve service response and provide customers with more reliable electricity.
She emphasised that the company’s customer experience agenda encompasses not only reliable electricity services but also a commitment to the well-being of the communities in which it operates.
The nationwide blood donation drive therefore forms part of UEDCL’s broader corporate social responsibility efforts, while supporting the availability of blood for patients who need life-saving transfusions.
The partners called on eligible Ugandans to embrace voluntary blood donation and encourage others to participate, stressing the importance of sustained collective action in helping hospitals meet patients’ needs.
