Tura, Aug 08: ‘Every day more than 12,000 people die waiting for blood in India just because one of us, some of us don’t come forward to donate blood.’ It is against this alarming situation that Kiran Verma, a social worker from Delhi, is on a mission to raise awareness about blood donation in India. He has travelled more than 21,000 kilometres across the country, covering 15,200 kilometers on foot and additional 5,000 – 6000 kilometers by other means of transportation, to spread awareness.

His goal is to reach 5 million blood donors in India, so that no one has to die waiting for blood. Verma is currently in Meghalaya, in Tura, the capital of West Garo Hills to spread awareness on his mission and to appeal to the local community to donate blood.

Speaking to Hub News, he said blood donation in Meghalaya is very critical problem. “If you see in Garo Hills, we have got only one blood bank and there are very limited blood donors for anyone who needs blood,” he noted.

He said he is in Tura to appeal to all the people to come forward and donate blood not just because of his walk but because every time whenever somebody dies in Meghalaya it means some of us didn’t go there to save their life, to give them hope. “So for that reason I’m here at Tura and appealing you all to donate blood,” he said.

Verma set off from Thiruvananthapuram on December 28, 2021, and his campaign has been touted to be the “longest blood awareness campaign ever by an individual in the world,” extending over a span of more than two years. Verma’s journey seeks to emphasize the critical importance of blood donation in India, aiming to prevent any loss of life due to blood unavailability after December 31, 2025. His journey has taken him through a remarkable array of regions, spanning across 196 districts. He reached Tura on August 7, 2023.

On the reasons for continuing his walk for this long, he explained, “Actually, when I started my walk, then I calculated distance from one capital city to another capital city. It was around 21,200 few kilometers. I rounded it off and made it 21,000 kilometers. But when I started walking then I realized that there is much more attention to be needed in smaller cities of any state. So that’s how I started walking in. I think that, you know, but just because this #21,000 kilometer has gone so viral, so that’s why I wanted to keep it even I crossed that threshold. So, the actual distance is going to be longer than that.”

He also met West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chelani and discussed with him on how to spread awareness among local communities so that more and more people can come forward and be a part of this mission.

He noted that Churches are very critical part in this area. “So I’m just going to request all the people from churches that they should integrate blood donation in their own culture and make it a part of their culture so that more and more people can get benefit out of it,” he said.

He said in Kerala and some part of South India, churches are doing immensely good in terms of blood donation because they are engaging a lot of blood organization to make people do blood donations in those paths. “The same kind of culture can be replicated over here if only civic societies, churches, and all the community people come forward along with the administration and create a whole ecosystem to make it happen,” he said.

He also wants to meet Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who is currently in New Delhi. He wants the Chief Minister to take blood donation as a mission and have atleast one blood bank in every district.

“I’ll request if somebody is watching me and then connect me with him or his office, then I’ll be very grateful to them. So that I can request Mr. Sangma, Honorable Chief Minister of Meghalaya, that if he can mobilize this particular act as a mission to the state because there are many districts in Meghalaya without any blood bank. So, I want at least one blood bank should be there in every district, (and it should be accessible) to all the people not just from the tribal community, but all the plain community as well. They should also be included in this mission and administration should be so supportive that they build this whole ecosystem together, so that nobody should die waiting for blood in Meghalaya and not even a single person should wait for even for a minute for blood,” he said.

“Be kind and help anyone in need. If you are kind with others, that is the biggest thing because it’s very rare nowadays and if you help someone, that is going to create a better world for all of us,” he concluded.

Verma’s motivation and impact

Verma’s efforts have not gone unnoticed on a broader scale. On April 9, 2023, he was invited to appear on the Kapil Sharma Show, further magnifying the reach of his mission. On June 19, 2023, Verma achieved an unprecedented feat by traversing three nations – Bangladesh, India, and Nepal – in a single day on foot through the Siliguri corridor, a record that likely stands as a unique accomplishment for any individual.

Supporting his arduous journey, a total of 116 blood donation camps have been organized across various parts of the country, amassing over 24,310 units of blood. Additionally, more than 8,000 individual blood donors have stepped forward to donate blood at various blood banks in India and abroad to bolster this noble cause.

Kiran Verma’s journey is not just a matter of determination but also carries a profound personal story. He started his blood donation initiative, “Simply Blood,” after witnessing a family being forced into prostitution to cover medical expenses. The incident motivated him to take a stand against the needless loss of life due to blood scarcity in India. He aims to ensure that no one dies due to a lack of blood by 2025.

To this end, Verma founded the “Change With One Foundation” and initiated programs such as “Simply Blood” and “Change With One Meal.” The former is the world’s first virtual blood donation platform, connecting donors and recipients in real-time, while the latter serves meals at an affordable rate to those in need.

Kiran Verma’s remarkable journey reflects a powerful commitment to saving lives through blood donation, and his efforts are inspiring communities across India to embrace a culture of blood donation to ensure no one suffers due to blood unavailability.

Also Read: Come to assembly and discuss the issue: Manipur BJP MLA to KPA legislators

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