English Premier League side,Manchester United is arguably one of the biggest football clubs in UK with its popularity spreading across the borders and in Africa the 20 English Premier League Champions enjoy significant backing.
The club’s fans in Meru,Eastern Kenya, extended their passion to the community coming together to donate blood at Meru and Teaching Referral Hospital.
Hundreds of the club enthusiasts and members of the community donated blood which will inturn be donated to those in need in several hospitals across the country.
Speaking during the event, Manchester united fans Meru chapter Chairperson Caroline Nkatha said the objective of the group is to bring together young people through sports and help them evade social ills.
‘’Manchester United Meru is a Community Based Organization,CBO,our objective is to bring together young people through sports,engage them so as to help them escape the social vices’’ Caroline Nkatha remarked.
It’s the second outreach event that has been conducted by the group after they visited a children’s home early this year.
Nkatha said they were compelled to do the blood donation’s drive so as to shore up the blood banks that might be experiencing shortage owing to the increased need of the blood.
Road accident survivors are some of the patients who most of the time require blood transfusion.
‘’There has been increased number of accidents on our roads lately we wanted to help the patients who might lose blood in such cases,and not only accident victims but all those patients who need blood and the donation is meant to save their lives’’, remarked Nkatha
She called other well -wishers and not only Manchester united fans in Meru to come forward and join in the drive.
Anthony Muriuki the group organizing secretary, appealed to other Kenyans to come out and donate blood as well.
Martin Mwirigi the Laboratory manager blood bank at Meru Teaching and Referral hospital appreciated the move by the Manchester united fans Meru chapter of donating blood, noting that the move by the Manchester United fans will inspire others to follow suit.
‘’We have had cases where people have excess blood and its important that after every three or 4 months one to donate blood at least a pint’’, Mwirigi remarked.
Mwirigi underscored the importance of one donating blood,saying that the donated blood not only helps patients at the hospital where the exercise was conducted but also to the rest of the hospitals across the country.
