Lifebank Foundation, Inc

In Nepal, patients’ families have the burden and stress of managing blood and donors themselves. Hamro LifeBank is on a mission to change that. This December, we are asking you to support our annual fundraiser to help us make a bigger impact!

Our Impact

We are extremely grateful for the support we've received from community members, volunteers and supporters since our launch in 2019. We've impacted over 16000 lives through our blood search support, blood collection efforts, and community mobilization.

After relentless advocacy for the value of digital transformation in blood management, in 2022, with support from IFRC, we onboarded Central Blood Bank Transfusion Service (CBTS), Nepal Red Cross Society on a digital transformation journey of their blood banks and are supporting them with turning data into knowledge to help them make informed decisions. We trained 30+ staff to transition from traditional to digital processes (a feat easier said than done). The CBTS team has digitized over 14,000+ supply data.

What are we raising funds for?

With this fundraising round, we will support the operations of the Ragat Chahiyo blood hotline in the upcoming year to support more patients in need. Your donations will help us

Please check out the latest report of the hotline statistics here.

Why Ragat Chahiyo Hotline?

Many people today rely on friends/family networks or social media to manage blood during emergencies. These mediums are helpful and the only resort for help in times of need. But many times, this process creates a lot of panic and fear for the needy as well as others. Many people are unaware of the most basic information on blood and where blood banks are and if there’s blood available in the blood bank. They end up creating difficult situations for themselves.

In 2020, with the support of America Nepal Medical Foundation, we launched "Ragat Chahiyo" blood management hotline. The hotline was instrumental during the pandemic crisis. Our hotline team and volunteers have supported over 4000 families in distress.

Every week, the hotline receives more than a 100 frantic calls come. Here we share a story of Roshan's search. Roshan's grandmother is diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Roshan's family needs to arrange blood every two weeks to help his grandmother survive.

“Before we can figure out where we can find our only chance for our grandmother's survival, we must visit several blood banks and contact a lot of people. As we don’t know anyone in Kathmandu, it's very difficult for us; also the doctors had told us to find blood on our own. Every 2 weeks, we come to Kathmandu to transfuse blood. There were times when we were desperate for just a pint of blood for our grandmother as we couldn't find it in any of the blood banks or hospitals and also we were unable to find the donor in such an emergency. One of my friends gave me Hamro LifeBank's phone number, and we were able to help my grandmother with her treatment. I am still in touch with them every two weeks for blood and they are helping me find it. Words are never enough to thank HamroLife Bank and their initiative, Ragat Chahiyo Hotline for helping people like me who need help finding blood for our loved ones.” -Roshan Shrestha, Banepa

There are many like Roshan, who are in desperate need and travel from remote regions to Kathmandu to find blood for their family. They have no idea where to contact for the availability of blood and have to visit every blood bank; and rely on different networks to find donors if blood banks are dry. With blood, the power of information at the right time can be the answer to a life-and-death situation.

Our Team

Our team of patient and dedicated hotline operators and volunteers handle thousands of blood search calls. We also collect feedback from patients, donors, and other stakeholders and also mobilize donors to donate regularly. We have collaborated with different volunteering organizations such as the Rh-Ve group, Youth for Blood, Red Cross and other blood banks in Nepal to make the blood management process more efficient for families in need.

Stories from the field

"Recently, I gave birth to two beautiful children. We were very happy and excited to welcome our twin babies but during my delivery, I had some complications. I had to undergo surgery and I lost a lot of blood. I was in need of blood as soon as possible but it was during COVID and lockdown was being imposed everywhere. My family was really worried about where they would find blood for me and my twins. But at such a difficult time, Hamro LifeBank helped us manage blood. I am very thankful for the donors as well as the people who are into saving people's lives. I kindly request you all to be part of such a beautiful journey to save the lives of people by donating your blood regularly and bringing smiles and spreading happiness in the world. Thank you for saving our lives." -Apekshya Pradhan Shrestha

“When Anamika was born, she changed our life in so many ways and made us feel that having a daughter is the most beautiful gift in life. She seemed like a healthy child, but sadly, after a few months, we noticed that her hands and feet were mostly cold and her skin looked pale. We were really worried. As she is our first and only child, we didn't know whether it was normal or if there was a serious problem underlying. We had never been through situations like these before so my wife and I decided to consult a doctor. It was difficult even for the doctors to identify the disease that she was suffering from. Later, she was identified with thalassemia which is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to produce fewer hemoglobins than it normally does which may result in mild or severe anemia. The doctor said that bone marrow transplant is one of the ways to treat thalassemia permanently. But it is really costly and us coming from a middle class family, we couldn't afford it. So, they suggested another temporary treatment i.e. blood transfusion to save our child's life. Every 4 weeks, we come to Kathmandu in order to transfuse blood. Nepal Thalassemia comes to our rescue for regular blood transfusion. We heavily rely on regular blood donors for a continuous supply of “life” for my child. It is sometimes challenging for us to find the blood donor as well as the blood in the blood banks and hospitals. If we fail to provide timely transfusion to my child, my child might suffer from weakened bones, enlarged spleen, pulmonary hypertension along with heart, lungs and cardiac complications. Even thinking about this makes me nervous but I am hopeful that she will heal in the coming days and live her life fully. I just wanna say that there are many children just like mine and adults who are in need of blood. I request everyone to take out some time from their busy schedule and donate blood. Without the donors, the lives of my child and a lot of other people are at risk. In the end, I would like to thank all blood donors for donating blood and helping my child and many others in need go through life." - Kumar Magarati