This International Women's Day, 8 March 2021, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies joins other organizations worldwide to highlight women's achievements while advancing our mission of Contributing to Society through Healthcare. As a company that makes the equipment that collects, separates and processes blood and cells, we have seen the impacts of blood shortages on people worldwide. We are working to promote an adequate, safe and sustainable blood supply as a major way to honor International Women's Day. 

This year's International Women's Day theme is #ChooseToChallenge. We are celebrating women's achievements, raising awareness against bias and taking action for equality. This includes spreading information about the unique challenges that female patients face globally.  

We recognize that inequality still exists, and it impacts the need for, access to and safe supply of blood products for patients of all genders, incomes, backgrounds and geographies.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the number of units of blood needed to sustain an adequate level of health equals 1% of a nation's population – 10 units per 1000 people. Yet, the need for blood is outpacing donations. Many patients need blood transfusions, including accident and trauma victims, people fighting cancer and those who receive organ donations. Post-partum hemorrhage is a crucial need for blood among women. 

For example, more than one-third of maternal deaths in Africa result from severe bleeding during delivery or after childbirth,¹ and the lifetime risk of maternal death in sub-Saharan Africa is a staggering one in 36.² Blood transfusions can help save mothers' lives, but blood shortages remain frequent in Africa, where more than 40 countries still fail to attain the World Health Organization's donation goal of 10 units per 1,000 inhabitants each year.³ 

​International Women's Day provides an important moment to showcase commitment to women's equality, launch new initiatives and action, celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness, highlight gender parity gains and more. 

The day is celebrated and supported globally by industry, governments, educational institutions, community groups, professional associations, women's networks, charities and non-profit bodies, the media and more. 

Collectively every person and all groups can make a difference within their sphere of influence by taking concrete action to help build a more gender-equal world. From small, powerful grassroots gatherings to large-scale conferences and events – International Women's Day is celebrated everywhere. It's a big day for inspiration and change. -InternationalWomen'sDay.com​ 

• Africa – Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is a founding member of the Coalition of Blood for Africa (CoBA), a public-private sector collaboration with the goal of finding solutions to the challenges of blood on the continent. In honor of International Women's Day, there is a three-day blood drive scheduled in Kenya.  ​
• India – The company is spearheading six blood donation camps in Trivandrum, Indian, including one at Terumo Penpol. There will also be several local educational and motivational virtual events. A key figure behind this work is Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies' Baby P.S. She is nominated for three awards related to International Women's Day 2021.  
• Project C.U.R.E. – For the great results in creating awareness of blood in the communities across India 
• Junior Chamber International – Lifetime Excellence Award 
• Prem Nazir Suhruth Foundation "Vanitha Sreyas Puraskaram" – For the contributions in the field of Voluntary Blood Donation.  
• United States – Employees of the company will participate in a blood drive at work. The company hosts blood drives at our Lakewood, Colo., U.S. headquarters on an ongoing basis. An estimated 140 lives are expected to be impacted by this one blood drive. 

• United States and Australia - Educational interviews with the company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Antoinette Gawin with Lwala Community Alliance Executive Director Ash Rogers and Julie Wenner, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies' General Manager for Australia with Bec Dragi, a post-partum hemorrhage survivor. 

The International Women's Day events are part of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies' overall program to collect 6,000 blood donations in 2021 for our program called From the Heart, aimed at advocating for a safe, sustainable and adequate blood supply around the world. 

References: 

1. Khan KS, Wojdyla D, Say L, Gulmezoglu AM, Van Look PF. WHO analysis of causes of maternal death: a systematic review. Lancet. 2006;367:1066-1074. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68397-9. 

2. Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990-2015. Estimates developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division. 2015. https://www.unfpa.org/publications/trends-maternal-mortality-1990-2015. 

3. Weimer A, Tagny C, Tapk J, et al. Blood transfusion safety in sub‐Saharan Africa: a literature review of changes and challenges in the 21st century. Transfusion. 59:412-427. doi:10.1111/trf.14949. 

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