{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T09:54:36Z","timestamp":1781517276409,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781481600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":14,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000269","name":"Economic and Social Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Grant letter attached"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Grant letter attached"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000269","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Glob Health"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Sierra Leone faces critical blood shortages reliant on family replacement and paid donors, contributing to high maternal mortality. Traditional top-down blood drives have failed to build sustainable voluntary donor bases due to mistrust and logistical barriers. We developed 'Gi4SaveLife\u2019, a community-led model to foster local ownership and sustainable donation. Implemented in Kono and Kenema districts, this quality improvement initiative established community 'hubs\u2019 led by local volunteers responsible for peer-to-peer education and mobilisation. We conducted a baseline survey to identify barriers, followed by monthly blood drives using non-monetary incentives. Data on collection volumes, donor demographics and costs were tracked over 8\u2009months. The initiative collected 539 units from 376 unique donors, moving from zero voluntary donations at baseline to a consistent supply. Crucially, 43% (161) were repeat donations, indicating a committed donor pool. The cost per unit decreased by 40% compared with standard NGO-led models. Key motivators included altruism (71%) and social recognition (52%). Gi4SaveLife demonstrates that a community-led approach, grounded in ownership and trust, can establish a cost-effective, sustainable pipeline of voluntary donors in low-resource settings. This model offers a scalable framework to bolster national blood transfusion services by bridging the gap between communities and health facilities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjgh-2026-023974","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T09:25:18Z","timestamp":1781515518000},"page":"e023974","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Gi4SaveLife: a community-led model for sustainable voluntary blood donation in rural Sierra Leone"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7393-6593","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina","family":"Fernandez Turienzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King\u2019s College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucy","family":"November","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King\u2019s College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed","family":"Turay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Philemon","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rick K","family":"Lassie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John S","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed K","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mangenda","family":"Kamara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mariatu","family":"Duraman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Koidu Government Hospital, Koidu, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katy","family":"Kuhrt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Women & Children\u2019s Health, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King\u2019s College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0500-5962","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrew J M","family":"Leather","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King\u2019s College London, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sahr","family":"Gevao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prince T","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, Freetown, Sierra Leone"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.1","unstructured":"WHO . Blood safety and availability, 2023. Available: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/blood-safety-and-availability [Accessed 12 Feb 2023]."},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.2","first-page":"e58","article-title":"The global need and availability of blood products: a modelling study","volume":"11","author":"Roberts","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet Haematol"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.3","unstructured":"World Health Organization . Towards 100% voluntary blood donation: a global framework for action. Geneva: WHO, 2010."},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"274","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(23)01164-9","article-title":"The status of blood supply in sub-Saharan Africa: barriers and health impact","volume":"402","author":"Asamoah-Akuoko","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.5","unstructured":"Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone . Maternal Death Surveillance and Response Annual Report 2020. Freetown; 2022."},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.6","unstructured":"Concern Worldwide . Support to the National Safe Blood Service in Sierra Leone. 2024. Available: https:\/\/www.concern.net\/knowledge-hub\/support-national-safe-blood-service-sierra-leone"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12978-018-0475-x","article-title":"\u201cJust because she\u2019s young, it doesn\u2019t mean she has to die\u201d: exploring the contributing factors to high maternal mortality in adolescents in Eastern Freetown; a qualitative study","volume":"15","author":"November","year":"2018","journal-title":"Reprod Health"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"864","DOI":"10.1111\/bjh.14588","article-title":"Blood donors\u2019 perceptions, motivators and deterrents in Sub-Saharan Africa - a scoping review of evidence","volume":"177","author":"Asamoah-Akuoko","year":"2017","journal-title":"Br J Haematol"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.9","article-title":"Myths and misconceptions about blood donation in Ghana","volume":"3","author":"Asenso-Mensah","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLOS Global Public Health"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.10","first-page":"e691","article-title":"Innovative blood transfusion strategies to address global blood deserts: a consensus statement from the Blood Delivery via Emerging Strategies for Emergency Remote Transfusion (Blood DESERT) Coalition","volume":"12","author":"Yazer","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet Glob Health"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.11","first-page":"738","article-title":"Community-Based Mentoring to Reduce Maternal and Perinatal Mortality in Adolescent Pregnancies in Sierra Leone (2YoungLives): A Pilot Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial","volume":"80","author":"Fernandez Turienzo","year":"2025","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.7189\/jogh.14.03019","article-title":"Meaningful community engagement and involvement in global health and research: \u201cChanging mindsets with a million conversations\u201d in Sierra Leone","volume":"14","author":"November","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Glob Health"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjqs-2015-004411"},{"key":"2026061502251141000_11.6.e023974.14","unstructured":"2Young Lives . 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