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Journalism of Courage
A countrywide blood donors database has been made accessible through a helpline. The http://www.indianblooddonors.com,a website that serves the cause of blood donation has made it possible for a person to find a donor in his or her locality or a nearby area by dialling a phone number.
The 12-year-old and award-winning initiative by Nagpur-based couple,Khushru and Fermin Poacha,added the new feature on Blood Donation Day on Thursday,where a person has to just dial 07961907766 to get a voice prompt giving out phone numbers of blood donor/s in nearby areas.
Ahmedabad-based Awaz De has made a phone line available for the purpose absolutely free and the voice prompt has been provided by US-based radio jockey Karishma. Awaz Des Neil Patel volunteered to offer a phone line for free after hearing Poachas speech in Ahmedabad while Karishna offered to provide the voice prompt after reading Poachas request on the Facebook.
Khushru Poacha said,Its a unique helpline. Over 50,000 blood donors are registered with us from across the country. We already had an SMS service in operation since 2008 where a person has to SMS the Donor (STD code) (blood group) to 09665500000 to get a donors name and phone number. We have started this helpline; it is much easier to use.
Poacha,an Indian Railways employee,describes his work as a zero sum social responsibility where money is no criterion. Ours is no NGO. We seek no donations. All we need is passion to help, he says.
His wife,Fermin,works at J N Tata Parsi Girls High School.
3 drown as boat capsizes in Yamuna
Three youths drowned in Yamuna river in Zafaraganj area here when a boat capsized on Sunday. The boat was carrying carrying three persons and a few pigs. The bodies have been fished out.
