Yorgui Teyrouz has been working to better the blood donation cause in Lebanon for the past five years. Lebanon is a country lacking a national blood bank or any public blood donation services and awareness about the importance of voluntary blood donation is often nonexistent. In 2005, Yorgui’s friend passed away due to a blood shortage after the patient’s family was unable to find enough blood donors compatible with his extremely rare blood type. This prompted Yorgui to create Donner Sang Compter (“to give without expecting anything in return” in English), an NGO which connects donors and people in need of blood. DSC is composed of young volunteers from various social and professional backgrounds who raise awareness about voluntary blood donation across the Lebanon in schools, universities, churches, mosques, movie theatres, malls, etc. DSC has compiled a database of more than 11,000 people willing to donate blood to any person in need at any hospital or clinic. The service is completely free of charge and relies solely on the registered donors’ selfless efforts to help save a life.
By bringing donors and receivers together, DSC hopes that people will learn just how precious the gift of life is, and how simple it can be to help a complete stranger preserve that gift, by giving just a little of one’s self, without expecting anything in return.