3 ways Care to Translate supports blood donation

June 14 is World Blood Donor Day 2026. At Care to Translate, we want to do our part to support this cause. Blood donation is a massive pillar of healthcare, and since healthcare is what we do, raising awareness feels natural to us.

We want to help show how important, and easy, it is to give blood. Here are three concrete ways our company and team are supporting blood donation right now.

1. Breaking language barriers at donation centers

To give blood safely, you have to be able to understand the screening questions and communicate with the medical staff. If you don't speak the local language, that becomes a barrier. Our app helps patients and healthcare staff talk to each other. By using the Care to Translate app at donation centers, language does not have to be an obstacle to saving a life.

Working at a donation center and what to learn more? Contact us. 

2. Donating blood on the clock (Rädda liv på arbetstid)

Have you heard of "Rädda liv på arbetstid"? It’s a Swedish initiative where employers encourage blood donation by letting employees do it during paid work hours. We are fully on board with this. Everyone on our team can go give blood while they're on the clock. It’s a small thing for us to organize, but it makes a big difference in making sure the donation actually happens.

3. Running the Blodomloppet

We love a team activity, especially for a good cause. Our team participates in Blodomloppet (which translates to "The Blood Race" or blood circulation). It’s a super popular Swedish race held all over the country to promote a healthy lifestyle and highlight the importance of giving blood.

Why it matters

Giving blood is incredibly simple and doesn't take much time at all, but the need for it is constant. To give you an idea of the scale, here is a quick look at the numbers in Sweden:

• 1,200 bags a day: On average, Swedish healthcare uses 1,200 bags of blood every single day. Most of it goes to cancer patients and people with chronic illnesses, but it’s also needed for surgeries, accidents, and complications during childbirth.
• All blood types are needed: There are eight blood groups. A+ is the most common in Sweden. Only 6% of people have O- (the universal type that can be given to anyone in an emergency), but every single blood type is constantly in demand.
• Only 3% give blood: In 2024, about 186,000 people gave blood in Sweden. That means only 3 out of 100 people are donors. So there is definitely a need for more.

Giving blood is a quick, easy routine for you, but it’s life-saving for someone else. If you are able to, consider signing up at your local donation center. Swedish centers can be found here.