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BloodLinkEmergency Blood Coordination Platform

When the right message reaches the right person at the right time, a life can be saved.

BloodLink is a digital platform designed to connect hospitals, blood banks, donors and emergency blood requests through a coordinated system, helping critical information move faster when time matters most.

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HospitalBlood bankDonor

A Problem I Could Not Ignore

In 2019, I lost my younger brother, Mahamat, in Kélo, Chad. He urgently needed A‑negative blood.

We tried to find compatible blood, but the challenge was not simply finding blood—it was finding the right information and connecting the right people quickly enough.

Losing him left me with a question that I could not ignore:

How many other families are, or will be, in the same situation—searching urgently for compatible blood while precious time is being lost?

And what if, in some cases, the blood is available, but the right information never reaches the right person in time?

That question became the foundation of BloodLink.

BloodLink is designed to help hospitals, blood banks, donors, and emergency blood requests connect and coordinate more efficiently through technology.

Billa Ali Abakar, Founder

Mahamat’s story is where BloodLink began. The problem it represents is bigger than one family.

When Information Is Fragmented, Time Is Lost

In an emergency, finding compatible blood is only part of the challenge.

Blood availability, donor information, and emergency requests can be scattered across hospitals, blood banks, phone calls, WhatsApp groups, and paper records. A compatible donor may exist nearby, but finding and coordinating with that person quickly can be difficult.

Today

  1. Hospital
  2. Phone call
  3. Blood bank
  4. Another phone call
  5. Community contacts
  6. Time lost

With BloodLink

  1. Emergency request
  2. BloodLink
  3. Coordination
  4. Verification
  5. Healthcare response

Intended model, now being prepared for real-world testing.

5.2units of blood collected per 1,000 people in Chad

The World Health Organization benchmark is 10 to 20. (Muller et al., 2021)

BloodLink is designed to help bring these disconnected processes into one coordinated digital environment.

The goal is simple: get the right information to the right person at the right time.

From an Idea to a Working Prototype

BloodLink began as a final-year Data Science project. Today it is a working prototype.

  • Emergency requests

    Healthcare staff can submit urgent blood requests.

  • Donor matching

    Suitable donors are identified using configured criteria.

  • Nearby donors

    Donor location supports proximity-based coordination.

  • Blood inventory

    Organizations manage their blood-stock information.

  • QR verification

    Blood information can be checked with a QR code.

  • Real-time updates

    Time-sensitive information is shared as it happens.

How BloodLink Works

  1. 01

    Request

    A healthcare facility submits an emergency blood request.

  2. 02

    Identify

    BloodLink identifies potentially suitable blood or donors according to configured criteria.

  3. 03

    Coordinate

    The system supports communication and location-based coordination.

  4. 04

    Verify

    Blood information can be checked through the verification workflow.

  5. 05

    Respond

    Healthcare teams coordinate the next steps for fulfilling the emergency request.

See BloodLink in Action

This is not just an idea. The system has been built.

BloodLink screen: Emergency request

Healthcare staff submit an emergency blood request.

Built With Data & Technology

Frontend

  • React
  • Progressive Web App

Backend

  • Node.js

Real-time

  • Socket.IO

Database

  • Supabase
  • PostgreSQL

Mapping

  • Leaflet
  • OSRM

Data science

  • Pipeline ready for future predictive models

BloodLink is designed to be data-driven. As real data becomes available, it can grow toward demand forecasting and decision support. AI does not make clinical decisions.

Where BloodLink Is Today

  1. Idea
  2. Build
  3. Test
  4. Validate
  5. Pilot
  6. Scale

Current position: validation and pilot preparation

  1. Prototype completed

    The core platform is built.

  2. Academic validation

    Defended as a final-year project at Kigali Independent University.

  3. Technical testing

    Core functions tested and improvements identified.

  4. Real-world validation

    Next: testing with healthcare professionals.

  5. Pilot implementation

    Next: a controlled pilot in a real healthcare setting.

The Next Chapter

The prototype is built. Now we need to learn how it performs in the real world.

  1. Step 1

    Test

    Test BloodLink with real users and realistic emergency scenarios.

  2. Step 2

    Listen

    Learn from doctors, nurses, blood-bank staff, hospitals and other stakeholders.

  3. Step 3

    Improve

    Fix technical, operational and workflow limitations.

  4. Step 4

    Validate

    Measure whether BloodLink can genuinely improve emergency blood coordination.

Starting in Chad.

Portrait of Billa Ali Abakar

Billa Ali Abakar

Founder, BloodLink

Meet the Founder

Billa Ali Abakar is a Data Scientist and digital innovation professional from Chad, with a background in data science, software development, and technology-driven problem solving.

Her journey with BloodLink began with a personal loss. In 2019, she lost her younger brother, Mahamat, in Kélo, Chad, after he urgently needed A‑negative blood. Despite efforts to find compatible blood, the challenge was finding the right information and connecting the right people in time.

That experience became the foundation of BloodLink.

While studying Data Science at Kigali Independent University, Billa turned this personal experience into a technology platform designed to connect hospitals, blood banks, donors, and emergency blood requests more efficiently.

Today, BloodLink is moving beyond its academic origins toward technical testing, real-world validation, and pilot preparation.

“When the right message reaches the right person at the right time, a life can be saved.”

Starting in Chad.Building for Africa.

Vision

To build an intelligent emergency blood access and delivery ecosystem for Africa, working toward a future where no patient dies because compatible blood could not be found or delivered in time.

Mission

To leverage AI, real-time logistics, mobile technology and data science to connect donors, hospitals, blood banks and patients faster and more efficiently across Africa, starting in Chad.

  1. Chad
  2. Regional coordination
  3. Africa

A long-term vision. The journey starts in Chad.

Map of Africa with Chad highlighted in red

What guides BloodLink

  • Human life above all
  • Technology with purpose
  • Transparency and accountability
  • Speed and reliability in emergencies
  • Inclusion and accessibility for all users
  • Continuous learning and improvement

Help Take BloodLink Into the Real World

BloodLink is entering real-world testing. We are looking for people and organizations who can help us test, improve and responsibly implement it.

Become a Pilot PartnerContact BloodLink

Contact BloodLink

Tell us who you are and how you would like to be involved.

Bloodlink.admin@gmail.com