With the upscale of boko haram attacks in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, Cameroonian soldiers are increasingly being wounded during their ongoing operation against Boko Haram insurgents. Unfortunately blood supplies have not met the demand. Now regular Cameroonians are stepping in.

Hundreds of Cameroonian youths are gathered at asports complex in Yaounde, the nation's capital,to donate blood for their soldiers fighting Boko Hara in the northwest of the country. Soldiers are also being injured while searching for rebels crossing the border to avoid fighting in the Central Africa Republic. More fighting means a greater need for blood.

One of the people waiting to donate is Iyawa Fadimatou. She said that she is donating the blood so that the military can avenge the death of three of her relatives killed in a recent suicide bomb attack in northern Cameroon.

"I am a Cameroonian and this is a civic engagement for me to show my patriotism. This is my own way to react against Boko Haram," said Iyawa.

Joel Neba, a French teacher, said that donating blood is his way of supporting the soldiers.

"My motivation for donating blood today is to help those who have been injured on the battlefront and to tell them that even though we are not at the battlefront with them, we believe that by donating our blood it will help those who are in need," said Neba.

A sense of patriotism and a desire to help the soldiers also led Rene Toka, a student to donate.

"We can't carry bombs. We can't carry arms to go and fight against Boko Haram but we can participate with our blood to support our soldiers," said Toka.

These people and more have been responding in large numbers to calls from the government to donate more blood. The country says that it needs at least 400,000 pints (190,000 liters) of blood. However, due to the high prevalence of HIV and hepatitis in Cameroon, this has been proving difficult.