Our friends at Nothing But Nets send along the following.
The UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, a global, grassroots initiative to prevent malaria, announced today the distribution of nearly one million bed nets to children and their families throughout the Central African Republic (CAR). The nets will be distributed as part of an integrated measles immunization campaign led by the government of CAR with support from the Measles Initiative. The bed nets contributed by Nothing But Nets will provide full coverage for 740,000 children under the age of five who are being targeted in this effort.
As always, send a net, save a life. The rest of the release is below the fold.
“We’re proud to support this initiative and to help families throughout CAR, where children continue to be threatened by preventable diseases like measles and malaria,” said Elizabeth McKee Gore, director of Nothing But Nets. “With our partners, we are grateful to the thousands of individuals who have logged on to www.NothingButNets.net and donated as little as $10 to send these life-saving bed nets.”
Working with the Measles Initiative – a partnership led by the American Red Cross, the United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF – Nothing But Nets will deliver long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent the transmission of malaria, a leading cause of death for children in the country. In addition to life-saving nets, children will also receive a measles vaccination as part of the integrated campaign.
To date, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $22 million to distribute nets across Africa, including Mali, Nigeria, Chad and Cote d’Ivoire. Although malaria has been eliminated in the United States, it still kills more than one million people each year–most of whom are children. In fact, every thirty seconds a child in Africa dies of malaria. Bed nets are one of the easiest and cost-effective methods of preventing the spread of the deadly disease. A $10 donation is all it takes to purchase and distribute a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net to those most in need.
Currently, in response to an urgent and immediate need, Nothing But Nets has partnered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to fund the purchase and distribution of 275,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets for refugees living in 27 temporary camps across Africa. To donate and to learn more, visit www.NothingButNets.net/refugees.
###
About Nothing But Nets
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, tens of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, the people of The United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. It only costs $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.