Inside Shantichakra: Digitizing Emergency Donor Discovery in Sunamganj

A phone call that should not take an hour

When someone in our area needs blood urgently, the search still runs through phone calls and Facebook messages: find a matching group, find someone nearby, find someone available today. Each step burns time the patient may not have. Shantichakra Blood Society exists to shorten that chain — and its digital donor directory is the next step in that work.

## Where we are today

Shantichakra Blood Society is a voluntary organization founded in Sunamganj in 2025. I serve as its General Secretary, coordinating donor management and volunteer activities alongside my studies. Our coverage currently spans six areas: Sunamganj Sadar, Shantiganj, Jamalganj, Tahirpur, Derai and Dowarabazar.

Today, coordination runs on two channels: our Facebook group, where members respond to requests, and a WhatsApp emergency hotline. It works — but it depends on whoever happens to be online, and on manually scrolling lists while every minute counts.

## What the directory will do

The portal I am building is designed around the moment of need, not around a feature list:

- Blood-group filtering first. The first question is always the group, so compatible donors surface before everything else.

- Area-wise donor search. A donor two upazilas away may not arrive in time; search is organized around the six coverage areas we actually serve.

- A clear emergency contact flow. One tap from a search result to a call or WhatsApp — no accounts, no forms in the way.

The stack is the one I know best — Next.js, React, Supabase and Tailwind CSS — chosen so the society never depends on tools it cannot afford. Progress is tracked openly on my portfolio page.

## Why it is taking time

I could launch a thin demo tomorrow. But a donor directory holds personal information about volunteers, and it will be used in stressful moments. Getting the data model, privacy and the emergency flow right matters more than shipping early. The status badge on the portfolio card honestly says "in development" — the features are being shaped carefully, discussed with the team, and will open to the community when they are genuinely ready.

## How you can help right now

You do not need the portal to be part of this. Join the Shantichakra Facebook group to see and respond to requests, and read about the wider work on my experience page. In an emergency, call or message the hotline: +880 1626-224878.

Every request answered through this small network is a real person getting another chance. That is worth building carefully for.