The Results of the All-Russian Campaign "Donor Family Code" summarized in Moscow

The award ceremony showcased the most effective approaches to promoting blood donation as a family tradition.

The All-Russian campaign-competition, which started in February 2024, concluded with a festive award ceremony on November 28 at the State Academic Central Puppet Theater named after S.V. Obraztsov. Awards were given to blood service institutions, individual participants, non-profit and volunteer organizations, and government representatives—109 projects in total, including 46 winners and 63 runners-up. Additionally, the 5 winners of the #FamilyCodeBloodServiceRussia challenge and 5 winners of the #DonorDynasties challenge were recognized.

The goal of the campaign is to develop voluntary blood and bone marrow donation, strengthen traditions of compassion and solidarity, and promote family values across the country. Over the course of the year, the campaign united more than 436,000 people from 69 regions of Russia, as well as from the Kazakhstan and Belarus. More than 220,000 people donated blood, and over 45,000 joined the Federal Bone Marrow Donor Registry. It has become a significant affirmation that donation is not just a medical procedure, but a true family tradition that unites people for a common cause.

"Donor Family Code" is an event organized as part of the thematic year, led by the FMBA of Russia in collaboration with the National Health Fund and the Russian Red Cross, with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund. The Blood Center of the FMBA of Russia played an active role in implementing this large-scale project.

The winners were congratulated by Igor Borisevich, Deputy Head of FMBA of Russia:

"As part of the All-Russian campaign 'Donor Family Code,' we have gathered to celebrate the best practices for developing the donor movement. This event highlights the importance of the combined efforts of all participants — blood service institutions, individual donors, non-profit and volunteer organizations, as well as government representatives — in achieving our goal: saving lives. This cooperation and interaction demonstrate that together we can accomplish great things. For over 15 years, the Federal Medical-Biological Agency has been implementing the state program to promote blood donation and its components. Over these years, we have achieved certain successes. We are proud that our database already contains over 1.5 million donors, and this number continues to grow. Your efforts and dedication to this cause inspire and motivate others to join our common goal."

As noted by Olga Eichler, Head of the Blood Service and Extreme Medicine Department of FMBA of Russia, thanks to such All-Russian campaigns, the number of participants in the donor movement has grown annually— in 2024, blood donation and component donation figures surpassed pre-COVID levels.

"We are recognizing those who have contributed to the development of the donor movement. The All-Russian campaign 'Donor Family Code' demonstrated that caring for the lives and health of others is not only a noble duty but also a fundamental value that unites generations. Even before the theme for this year was announced, we understood that donation and family values are inseparable. For many Russian families, donation has become a tradition passed down from generation to generation," said Olga Eichler.

During the ceremony, Elena Stefanyuk, Director of the National Health Fund, shared the plans for 2025.

"The official theme has not yet been announced by the President of Russia. However, next year we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, and this theme will be reflected in our work. We plan to conduct a donor marathon 'Blood Donors – Heirs of Victory,' challenges #BloodServiceVictoryInOurVeins and #DonorHeroism, and a competition for the best practices of developing the donor movement in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory. Our goal is to involve at least 80,000 people in the marathon," emphasized Elena Stefanyuk.

Pavel Savchuk, Chairman of the Russian Red Cross, reported that over the past two years, the organization has held more than 6,000 events in collaboration with the Blood Service, non-governmental organizations, and commercial partners.

"This year, the focus was on the All-Russian campaign 'Donor Family Code.' Since February, 41 regional branches have joined, and they conduct events monthly. In June, on Family, Love, and Fidelity Day, we organized more than 60 events across the country. I am confident that the earlier children learn about donation, its importance, and significance, the greater the chances they will become donors in the future. This is why we strive to involve entire families in the campaigns," emphasized Pavel Savchuk.

Guests of the ceremony participated in the All-Russian Conference "Blood and Bone Marrow Donation in the Russian Federation: Successful Practices in the Year of Family." Representatives from different regions of Russia, as well as Belarus and Kazakhstan, shared their most interesting approaches to popularizing blood and bone marrow donation as a family tradition.

Winners and runners-up were also congratulated by Zhanna Chefranova, First Deputy Chairperson of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy, Yulia Drozhzhina, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, and member of the Health Protection Committee, Andrei Plutnitsky, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, Pavel Savchuk, Chairman of the Russian Red Cross, Chairman of the Commission on Volunteering and Youth Policy of the Public Chamber of Russia, Kristina Lunyeva, Head of the Department of Youth Projects and Programs of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, and Sergey Rybalchenko, Chairman of the Commission on Demography, Family Protection, Children, and Traditional Family Values of the Public Chamber of Russia.

All participants and guests of the event noted that the development of the donor movement is impossible without love, care, and strong family traditions. Donation is rapidly growing, and the donor community, like one big family or team, is overcoming all obstacles in its path.