Nothing But Nets

Earlier this week Bill Gates posted his second Annual Letter on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation website. In it, he talks about the importance of innovation across a spectrum of issue areas – including malaria. He writes:

“Two years ago, Melinda and I challenged the health field to set a goal of eventually eradicating malaria. Because it is such a widespread disease, the foundation has backed a number of different types of innovations. In 2005 we helped fund a medium-risk pilot project in Zambia to test having most people in an area sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets and spray the inside of their house with insecticides. These interventions have proven to reduce malaria substantially, and other partners have now taken the lead on the large-scale delivery of these interventions.”

Now comes the shout out! That’s right…Bill Gates recognizes the impact that YOU are having by raising funds for life-saving bed nets:

“There has been a dramatic increase in bed net usage thanks to donations from individuals (some through church organizations and Nothing But Nets), the Global Fund, and rich governments.”

You can read the rest of Bill Gates’ Annual Letter here. 

Last month, one of our long-time supporters from Georgetown University and the Malaria Awareness Project, together with a number of campus organizations, spearheaded “Global Hip Hop 101, a Malaria Benefit Concert”, benefitting Nothing But Nets. Georgetown sponsored several West African artists to perform on campus with the goal of spreading awareness about African Hip-Hop as well as social justice and global health. 

Noting that malaria is such a major issue in Africa with far-reaching consequences, the Malaria Awareness Project selected Nothing But Nets as the beneficiary of their efforts. It was a night of music, fun, and creativity that helped to send life-saving bed nets to Africa!
 

Earlier this fall, one of our young supporters decided to take Nothing But Nets to the streets in a 22-mile bike ride. For her Bat Mitzvah project, Samantha Collins recruited support from family and friends to spread the buzz about malaria leading up to the lengthy bike race. 

She had been inspired to support Nothing But Nets after she learned that she could make a difference and send a bed net for just $10. In response to her efforts, she says, “Next thing I know, I am receiving generous checks to go towards nets in Africa!” Samantha raised enough to send 81 nets! 

As you have probably seen, the images of the devastating earthquake in Haiti are heartbreaking. The last 48 hours and the coming days continue to be critical to relief efforts.  While we have lost many UN friends and colleagues, the UN will stay on the front lines of the relief effort during this critical period.

At the UN Foundation, our team has joined these relief efforts, committing $1 million in aid to Haiti already, and is working with the United Nations to coordinate relief efforts through the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). 

Update from Haiti: Our own Dr. Dan Carucci (VP, Global Health at the UN Foundation) is delivering medical supplies in Port-au-Prince.

Last night, celebrity Ashton Kutcher, the #1 followed person on Twitter, won an award for “Favorite Web Celeb” at the People's Choice Awards. Ashton live streamed the event - and he even brought his camera up on stage to accept his award. Then came our favorite moment: he thanked Ray Chambers, UN Special Envoy for Malaria, and our partner, Malaria No More.

Ashton said the true reward was that 90,000 people in Senegal are sleeping under bed nets, as a result of his globally-followed race against CNN to reach a million followers on Twitter last April. Remember when he vowed to play ding-dong ditch (and then did!) on UN Foundation founder and Chairman Ted Turner if he beat CNN?

We applaud Ashton for spreading the word about malaria prevention, sending nets and saving lives, and supporting our partners on a national stage. Great job, Ashton!
 

Let’s begin 2010 with some exciting news: You helped to raise enough money to reach our goal of sending life-saving nets to more than one million refugees in Africa – congratulations! We are so proud to have supporters like you on the Nothing But Nets campaign.

In 2009 we teamed up with the United Nations Refugees Agency and began delivering your nets and Messages of Hope to families in camps in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Watch this special video to see a message of thanks from the refugees you’ve protected from malaria.

Thank you for sending nets and saving lives. Keep up the good work – we’re on our way to covering the African continent with nets!

On New Year’s Eve, Nothing But Nets supporters gathered at Skye Lounge in Washington, DC, to put on their party hats, sound their noisemakers, and ring in 2010 with a purpose. This celebration was unique: it was the only party in the city where guests helped send nets and save lives simply by joining in on the fun!

Thanks to our friends at Skye Lounge, a portion of ticket sales were donated to Nothing But Nets to purchase long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets for refugees in need.

Residents of the Nation’s Capital came dressed in sequins and ties to celebrate the biggest night of the year, all while helping the Nothing But Nets campaign deliver 160,000 life-saving bed nets to protect refugees in Africa by New Year Eve.

Emerging DC-area band Honor By August could kick off the New Year any number of ways, but they have decided to start on a generous note by raising awareness and an anticipated $10,000 to combat malaria.

This Friday, January 8th, the pop/rock band will benefit Nothing But Nets during their concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. The Nothing But Nets team will be there and we hope you can join us! All ages are welcomed. The 9:30 Club is located at 814 V Street NW, Washington, DC. Tickets are $15 and are available through www.honorbyaugust.com. 

I got the chance to talk about this great event with the band's lead singer, Michael, on local television. Check out the clip here: it's the top one on the right on the page.