Uganda is set to launch blood drives to try to address a severe shortage of blood in the country.
The blood bank facility in the capital Kampala is reported to be practically empty, with only about 100 units of blood available, rather than the thousand-plus units required every day.
The World Health Organization recommends that blood collections should be at least 1% percent of a country's population.
Uganda's blood bank is only able to meet less than 70% of its yearly target or about 240,000 units.
The blood bank’s stock is usually boosted by donations from schools.
But with the long school holiday, the blood bank has found itself in a crisis.
Dr Dorothy Kyeyune-Babazaire, the director of Uganda's Blood Transfusion Services, said the facility is trying to mitigate the crisis through more drives with corporate companies and walks-in donors.
