In the latter years of the 1980's a group of British expatriates, living in Nigeria, became worried about the shortages of locally available blood. In response to this problem and with the active encouragement of the expatriate medical and residential communities a blood bank was established in Lagos in 1989. This acted as a pilot exercise for setting up, on an international basis, effective procedures to handle, transport, import and store blood, resuscitation fluids and sterile transfusion equipment.

Building on this experience, the Foundation has developed and is now able to provide screened blood from a global network of blood banks, all of which work to internationally approved standards. In addition the Foundation has established a continually expanding network of Regional Supply Points, which hold stocks of resuscitation fluids, sterile transfusion equipment and up-country emergency medical packs.

As we enter the third millennium, the Foundation now covers between 8 and 9 million people on any given day, giving them and their families the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their transfusion needs are but a phone call away.