Red Splash is a blood donation initiative that sources for blood for patients that need it in 5 counties in Kenya.
The organization took part in Old Mutual Sisonke competition and won Ksh. 190,000 to expand its work.
We spoke to Said Kiti, co-founder Red Splash, about the organization’s initiatives and their experience in Sisonke.
1. Tell us about yourself and your journey in Red Splash
My name is Said Kiti, I am a co-founder and the Lead Technology Strategist at Red Splash.
A few years ago, one of our founding members’ mother desperately needed 6 pints of blood. After a long search there wasn’t enough blood available for her. This led to delay of her treatment and eventually led to her death.
This inspired us to come up with Red Splash, a platform that ensures people get access to enough blood, and most importantly on time. We currently operate in 5 Counties in Kenya namely, Nairobi, Eldoret, Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi.
Abdulrehman Alwy, our Chairman, Miss Khadija the vice chairperson and I are the co-Founders of Red Splash.
2. How does Red Splash work?
We get blood through blood drives, campaigns, and festivals in the counties we operate in, then take this blood banks and hospitals. Through our Red Splash app, we are able to directly link donors with hospitals and patients. Using the app, users can post blood appeals and reach donors through the app.
3. How and why did you apply for the Sisonke competition?
We heard about the Old Mutual Sisonke competition from our friends. We participated with an aim to grow exposure and reach more people with information on Red Splash.
After winning, we have gotten more exposure, with more people now registering and taking part in our blood donation drives. We have received more donors and volunteers from all over Kenya.
4. How do you intend to use the prize money from the Sisonke competition?
We plan on opening a call center and a data center. This will help us with logistics and easy donor retention and feedback platform. We believe that with a reliable communication center, we will be able to retain donors and volunteers.
5. Tell us about your impact on society so far
So far, we have so far received over 2,000 blood appeals and have directly helped over 6,000 patients to access blood pints in all the counties we operate in. With the prize money, we will increase blood drives from 1 weekly to 3 blood drives per week.
By doing this, we are optimistic that we can collect up to 100,000 pints of blood annually. We currently have 250 registered volunteers and 1500 registered donors countrywide. With the funding, we hope to recruit more volunteers in all the 5 counties and expand services.
6. With blood donation being a sensitive subject, what do you see as the future of blood donation here in Kenya?
As Red Splash, we are advocating for 100% voluntary blood donations, while discouraging replacement donations. We are also looking into having 100% donor blood donor retention.
Our goal is to see that no patient in Kenya will lose his-her life due to lack of blood.