Takoradi — Maame Kwaaba Stephens, a brand ambassador for the National Blood Service, has called on the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to be an active participant in regular voluntary blood donation exercises.

This, she believed, would serve as a motivation for students in school.

Maame Kwaaba Stephens, made the call on Tuesday, at the 57th Annual Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) currently underway in Takoradi in the Western Region, on the theme: ‘Achieving sustainable quality education in Ghana – the role of stakeholders’.

With continued support from CHASS and other allied associations of educational institutions in Ghana, the National Blood Service, the brand ambassador added Ghana could more than double the percentage of voluntary blood donation from the current 36 per cent to an appreciable level.

Zimbabwe and Tanzania, she stated, had achieved about 70 per cent of voluntary blood collection from students in second cycle institutions.

The brand ambassador noted that giving blood provides an excellent opportunity to make an important contribution to the society, as rightly captured by the theme for the conference.

Maame Stephens hinted that as part of efforts in achieving the national blood supplies, the National Blood Service will soon launch a National Inter-School Blood Donation Competition to motivate and reward the schools, who had supported the Blood Service by donating more blood on voluntary basis.

She, therefore, encouraged all schools to be part of the competition when it was successfully launched.

She commended school heads who had made blood donation exercises an integral part of their school calendar and appealed to heads, yet to do so to urgently consider blood donation education and collection in their schools.

“There is need for more of such collaborations because the second cycle schools are the biggest assets of the National Blood Service, whose contribution forms at least 30 per cent of its national blood supplies, the conference should make a firm declaration at the end of the meeting to indicate their stronger dedication for a more sustained partnership with the National Blood Service Ghana,” Maame Stephens stressed.

Additionally, she requested that the Blood Service is allowed to be on the Parents-Teacher Association (PTA) agenda to regularly engage parents.

The national secretary of CHASS Mr Kwame Owusu Aduomi, welcomed the collaboration between the Blood Service and CHASS and called on all members to support the initiative.