Former Barcelona and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o has said he will distribute supplies to 100,000 people to help support efforts to combat coronavirus in his home country.

Eto’o runs a foundation in the country and has promised that it will be used to “share soaps, sanitisers and several food items to fifty thousand households in four cities – Douala, Buea, Yaoundé and Bafoussam.”

An additional 50,000 protective face masks will also be supplied – specifically for taxi drivers in the country.

“This is a serious humanitarian crisis and only via proper sanitisation and the distribution of health kits can we curb the coronavirus,” read a statement from the Samuel Eto’o Foundation.

Cameroon’s government continues to take measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including closing down the central African nation’s borders and suspending all sports activities.

On 5 April, Cameroon’s health minister Manaouda Malachie reported that 650 people had tested positive with the virus. A total of 165 have recovered while there have been 17 deaths.

With Cameroon’s top and second tier football championships suspended, several players have taken to social media to plead for help amidst growing financial concerns.

Around a thousand footballers from 44 clubs of the country’s men and women’s domestic championships are also expected to benefit from the move via food items and basic necessities.

Eto’o, four-time African Player of the Year, has previously taken to his social media to give fans advice on following World Health Organisation tips on fighting coronavirus.