The DrepaCommunity was in celebration!
Attendants had the opportunity to be aware of ERN-EuroBloodNet's actions thanks to the expert Celeste Bento.
On the weekend of September 23 and 24, Sickle Cell Disease (Drepanocitose in Portuguese) Awareness Month was celebrated with the DrepaComunidade Festival, or DrepaFest as many people call it, a festival for the Lusophone community at the Parque Verde do Mondego in Coimbra, Portugal.
Organized jointly by the Portuguese SCD Patient's Association, APPDH, and "Casa de Angola in Coimbra", in a gathering where Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor, Guinea-Bissau, and Portugal were represented with their culture, music and typical dishes.
It was an opportunity to inform the community of healthcare professionals and patients about the ERN-EuroBloodNet, with the distribution of flyers and brochures.
In partnership with ESCF (European Sickle Cell Federation) and IPST (Portuguese Institute for Transfusion), a campaign was launched to raise awareness of the need for blood donors from all Portuguese-speaking countries, to increase compatibility between donors and recipients.
Hb S carriers screening was carried out in collaboration with the University of Coimbra's Anthropology and Health Research Center (CIAS).
The children also had their moment, with the chance to paint two panels where they could "release their pain" or "release their smile".
It was an enjoyable weekend for everyone, and we hope that DrepaFest is here to stay and that it continues to be a party that manages to turn the different pains of SCD into happy smiles!
We would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to making this party successful!