World Blood Donor Day is being commemorated on 14 June in a global celebration to thank and honour millions of voluntary unpaid blood donors who make blood available for the needy and poor people and to encourage regular blood donation by suitable donors. Millions of lives are saved each year through blood transfusions. In many developing countries, people still die due to an inadequate supply of blood and blood products. A reliable supply of safe blood is essential for scaling up health at several levels, particularly for women and children. For instance, more than half a million women die every year from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth worldwide (99% of them in developing countries). Hemorrhage (blood loss) accounting for 25% of the complications, is the most common cause of maternal death. Malnutrition, Thallasaemia and severe Anemia are the major diseases prevailing in children. Over 80 million units of blood are donated every year around the world, but only 39% is collected in developing countries where 82% of the global population lives. Up to 70% of all blood collection in Pakistan are given to children with Thallasaemia, which accounts for about one in ten of all childhood deaths in Pakistan. The emergence of HIV in the 1980s and Hepatitis B & C in 1990’s highlighted the importance of ensuring the safety, as well as the adequacy, of national blood supplies. In many countries, even where blood is available, many recipients remain at risk of transfusion-transmissible Diseases (TTDs) as a result of poor blood donor recruitment and selection practices and the use of untested units of blood. Although Pakistan has increased its voluntary unpaid blood donation in the last five years to 20% of its blood supply, replacement donors made up 70% and paid donors 10% of blood supplies in 2005. The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has also planned to celebrate the event on the same day with the main focus on Blood Safety awareness and importance of Voluntary Unpaid Blood Donation. The reason for celebrating the day is that it is the birth date of Dr. Karl Landsteiner, who discovered the “ABO” blood group system. World Blood Donor Day highlights true stories of people whose lives have been changed or saved by blood. It also put emphasis on the fact that voluntary unpaid blood donors are the foundation of a safe blood supply because they are associated with significantly lower levels of infections that can be transmitted by transfusion, including Hepatitis B, C and HIV/AIDS. Screening for transfusion-transmissible infections is essential, but the safest donations come from the safest donors. The National BTS is hospital based and is governed with financial support from Global Fund through expanded HIV / AIDS program. It is fragmented, insufficient & inefficient lacking infrastructure, inadequate financial, human & technical resources resulting in long-term detrimental effects on the health of the country. There are 450 Public and 2357 Private Blood Banks in the country that collect approximately 1.5 million blood bags / annum. Government BTS rely on 70% Family and Replacement Donors, 10% from Paid Donors who are “unsafe” and only 20% through “Voluntary Unpaid Blood Donors”. The Blood Donor Centre (BDC) at PRCS National Headquarters established in 1979 is implementing a "Safe Blood Program" that embodies the spirit of 'Altruism' and principle of Voluntary Un-paid Blood Donation. The PRCS, Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) is governed by the GOP National Blood Policy, Strategic Framework and Guidelines and organized through four (03) Blood Banks located at Punjab Branch, Lahore, Sindh Branch, Karachi and at National Headquarters, Islamabad. PRCS in collaboration with the Federal Directorate of Education had successfully launched a school based Blood Safety Education Program called “Society for Awareness of Blood Safety (SABS)” implemented from January 2003 till to date in 100 uraban and rural schools of Islamabad targeting youth ages 14-16 years. There are total of 30,000 beneficiaries of the program. The program aims at developing volunteers for community services and to prepare the future generation of Voluntary Un-paid Blood Donors (VUBD) by enhancing awareness of blood safety for prevention of spread of transfusion-transmissible diseases i.e. Hepatitis B, C and HIV/AIDS. The feed back of the SABS Program shows great demand for the continuation of the initiative by the beneficiaries (teachers and students). Monitoring of the program shows excellent results and the teachers are asking for it and considering it important for addressing the fears and health concerns of the youth and parents. For the promotion of healthy lifestyles and voluntary blood donation, the PRCS aims to carry the SABS program forward to higher educational level in the form of “PRCS Youth Health Safety Clubs”. For increasing blood collection, awareness campaigns are conducted and mobile blood camps held in colleges, universities, institutes, organizations and markets. There are 200,000 beneficiaries annually in awareness. Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is a professional organization with highly skilled and trained staff that adheres to standard operating procedures and following the national and international guidelines. The Centre has collected, processed and distributed over 33,000 units of blood. 86.5% is collected from Voluntary Unpaid Blood Donors, while 13.5% through replacement donation during summer. The main beneficiaries are the sufferers of Thallasaemia, Haemophilia, Cancer, Liver Failure, Renal Failure, complication of pregnancy and victims of natural and man-made disasters. The Blood Donor Centre has an impressive record of humanitarian services for the victims of conflicts and calamities in various phases of nation’s history. Very recently it emerged as the leading contributor of free blood services to the victims of earthquake that struck the north of Pakistan on 8th October 2005. BDC collected and distributed more than 4000 blood units to twenty (20) designated hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and airlift of blood to Abbotabad. Promoting Voluntary Blood Donation and Blood Safety Awareness at community level so as to meet emergency blood needs in disasters and daily safe blood requirements of poor patients in local hospitals. .