By IINA,
Riyadh : A brainchild of four technology-savvy young Saudis following the teachings of their faith, an online blood bank is assisting thousands of people, Muslims and non-Muslims in desperate need of blood donations. “The website is serving Muslims and non-Muslims alike,” Khalaf Al-Goudi, one of the founders of the www.freeblood.com , told IslamOnline. “It is quite often that a Muslim donates to a non-Muslim through our site,” he added. The website was established four years ago by Goudi, his cousin and two friends as a unique electronic blood bank that offers services to patients who need blood donations from around the world. It has built up a worldwide database of more than 15,000 donors.
A person can visit the website and register as a blood donor or a patient who needs blood donations, providing information about city and country of residence, exact address, phone numbers and blood type. The data are made available to those who badly need blood, hospitals as well as local and international blood banks. The website clearly states that donors should not expect to be financially compensated for their donations.
“It is totally non-profit,” says Goudi. “The goal is to follow Islam’s teachings of solidarity and helping others in need.”
The founders say their project offers an easy, accessible venue for donors and patients. “It is more of a fast donor-patient link,” says Goudi. The four young Saudis were inspired by a situation they had experienced four years ago. “There was this patient me and my cousin knew who needed a donation from a very rare blood type,” Goudi recalls. “When we went to the hospital’s blood bank to ask for donors who can help him, they handed us this huge, tattered donors’ record book. “We were supposed to search it for donors who can help the patient.” The idea for the online blood bank was born only days after this experience. “Six months later, the website was launched.”
Goudi says he and the other founders were convinced that record books and paper archives can not be efficient in the age of computers and Internet. “A website would be much easier to access for both donors and patients, especially those who desperately need a life-saving blood donation,” he maintains. “All what it takes is one click and you have a list of donors who can help you out,” he added.