THE Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), youth arm of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), held a blood drive on Main Street, Georgetown yesterday as one of the activities to commemorate their 61st Anniversary.

PYO member, Sarwan Jagnarain in a brief interview with the Guyana Chronicle said that this programme is one of the activities arranged by the PYO for their week of events.
He added that the aim was to meet 61 units of blood to mark the 61st anniversary.
Meanwhile, Jagnarain pointed out that the blood drive yesterday was not held in Georgetown alone but also in Regions 2 (Pomeroon- Supenaam), 3 (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara), 5 (Mahaica- Berbice) and 6 (East Berbice- Corentyne).
He added that this blood drive saw PYO participants from the East Coast as well as the East Bank Demerara turning up to donate.
He reminded that one unit of blood could save three lives and if the PYO reaches its 61 units goal, an average of 183 lives could be saved.
Jagnarain added that this is a small step which would obviously make a big difference.
He noted also that the benefits of donating blood are really good as it lowers cholesterol levels and allows the body to replenish its blood supply.
One donor explained that she was on another errand and saw the blood drive and decided to participate. She said it was her first time donating blood and it felt great to know that you’re helping to save someone else’s life.
At about 12:00 hrs 15 units were donated and most of it was from people just passing by. The successful blood drive started at approximately 10:00 hrs and concluded around 17:00 hrs.