To commemorate the 60th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen Mother Tseyring Pem Wangchuck, Young Volunteers in Action or Y-VIA organised a mass blood donation camp in seventeen districts across the country. Y-VIA is a youth network comprising of volunteers under the Bhutan Youth Development Fund or YDF.
In Thimphu, the volunteers marked the day at the YDF complex by planting a tree for Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s good health and long life. Tree plantation is an initiative, the volunteers started since the beginning of the year. And till date, they have planted over 1600 trees in eighteen districts.
Observing the day with the theme “Saving Lives”, the youth network brought volunteers including armed force personnel, scouts and general public to donate blood in the 18 districts.
Young volunteers most of whom are recipients of the YDF’s Golden Youth Award scholarship organised the event across the country to express their gratitude to Her Majesty the Queen Mother.
“Her Majesty has always supported the youth. And we have always been stable and happy under Her Majesty’s guidance and leadership,” said a Y-VIA Representative, Nidup Tshering Dorji. “Therefore it is in our small way that we give back in gratitude to Her Majesty through small events,” he added.
“Today’s theme is saving lives. It is because Her Majesty has been saving lives of many youth in the country, now it is about giving back to Her Majesty. Blood donation is one of the ways to saving lives,” said another youth volunteer and 2010 Golden Youth Award winner, Sangay Tempa.
Her Majesty the Queen Mother is the president of the Bhutan Youth Development Fund, a civil society organization that provides financial support for youth development activities such as leadership, volunteerism, and drug rehabilitation among others.
Close to 400 donors across the country donated over 230 units of blood.
