Nothing But Nets

The UN has identified an urgent need to send life-saving bed nets to everyone who needs one in the Central African Republic (CAR) by the end of this year. We’re happy to announce that singer and actress Mandy Moore and PSI (Population Services International) are joining us and our UN partners to fill this need.

We have a special opportunity for you to learn more about this project, from Mandy herself! Join us on August 12 at 2pm ET for an exclusive chance to ask Mandy (and us) your questions during an interactive Facebook Townhall discussion. It’s easy – you’ll log in to Facebook, head to the Nothing But Nets page, and join the live conversation with Mandy and our malaria experts.

Over the weekend we were in Los Angeles for our most recent stop of the Nothing But Nets™ Buzz Tour, and it was chock full of celebrity sightings. But the biggest celebrity of all seems to be Nothing But Nets™ itself! Everywhere we drove, from the Santa Monica pier to the soccer pitch, Los Angeles residents know about Nothing But Nets™ and were “stoked” to see us.

On Friday, the Buzz Tour hit the beach in Santa Monica and while at the 3rd Street Promenade, actor David Arquette stopped by to say how much he loved our campaign. Check out this short, high-energy video of David Arquette with Mozzie the Mosquito!  

These last few weeks have been particularly busy for the Nothing But Nets™ campaign – which is always a good sign. With the Buzz Tour making its way across the country from Chicago to Salt Lake City, to Los Angeles; an event with 2009 MLS Cup winner Real Salt Lake, MLS W.O.R.K.S., and the White House near the Washington Monument; and the World Cup kicking off next week, we have our hands full! So it's always nice to take time to pause and recognize the efforts of our partners and supporters in helping to save lives in innovative and tireless ways.

Yesterday in Chicago the Nothing But Nets™ campaign received such recognition!

I am proud to report that the Nothing But Nets™ campaign and our partner NBA Cares were honored with two awards from the Cause Marketing Forum for our partnership to prevent malaria in Africa. We won Gold and Silver awards for the Send a Net. Save a Life. See a Game. promotion we conducted with NBA Cares last December.

Since the Buzz Tour began in March, we’ve eaten barbeque in Kansas City, hung out with the Buckeyes in Ohio, chilled with our Champion Diego Gutierrez in Chicago, and watched soccer in Salt Lake. Along the way, we’ve met thousands of awesome Nothing But Nets™ supporters like yourself, and Mozzie has made lots of friends, too!

Take a look at some of our favorite moments on the Buzz Tour so far:

• Illinois Governor Pat Quinn declared it Nothing But Nets™ Week while we were in Chicago
• In Boston, we met with teacher Pat Mahoney’s 7th-grade class, who raised more than $18,000 to send nets and save lives!
• Our team member Danielle met a cab driver in New York who shared a moving story of why he had to leave Ghana because he was always sick with malaria

Last weekend for World Malaria Day, thousands of people across the country and around the world showed their commitment to sending nets and saving lives at the Sleep Out to End Malaria. From Nashville to L.A., and Zimbabwe to South Korea, Nothing But Nets and United Against Malaria supporters came together to share their experiences and sleep out so that others can sleep safely, teaming up to end malaria deaths by 2015.

Check out a slideshow with some of the best photos from the Sleep Out to End Malaria on April 24, the Eve of World Malaria Day. 

Yesterday former MLS player Diego Gutierrez, WNBA star Ruth Riley and 9-year-old Katherine Commale led the way as we brought the grassroots movement to end malaria deaths to Capitol Hill. Joined by our United Against Malaria partners, including Malaria No More and PSI, our Champions brought your messages of support to the offices of Representative Donald Payne, Senator Judd Gregg and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Our feet were sore but our spirits were high as we met with policy-makers to talk about the importance of continued U.S. leadership in the global fight to end malaria deaths in Africa through both malaria prevention and treatment measures.

Following the full day of meetings, our Champions joined United Against Malaria Champion Molly Sims and MLS players Danleigh Borman and Clyde Simms to present more than 20,000 names of individuals across the country who are committed to helping end malaria. Thank you for signing our message to political leaders! 

As cool as the Nothing But Nets Buzz Tour looks in photos and online - it’s even cooler in person! I got to jump on the Nothing But Nets Buzz Tour in Kansas City last weekend and I’ll admit -- when I landed in KC I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going. But I trusted that I would find the big blue bus along the road … and sure enough, as I drove through the Rockhurst University campus it was there in the midst of the athletic fields. It’s hard to miss!

Last week, I was at Fugnido Refugee Camp in Gambella, Ethiopia. There was one day on the trip I will never forget.

The sun was blazing down. It was nearly 40 degrees C (over 100 degrees F) as we walked through Fugnido refugee camp today. The camp is home to over 20,000 Sudanese refugees who have been living here for up to 20 years. We walked through the camp with Abiy, a field officer with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The tukuls (round, thatch homes) are arranged in clusters, enclosed by a stick fence...

Dozens of people have already signed up to Sleep Out to End Malaria on April 24, World Malaria Day Eve. Join this team  of caring individuals leading the charge to show world leaders they are committed to saving lives from malaria.

Join the movement: Sign up to Sleep Out to End Malaria on April 24, 2010.

Why World Malaria Day? April 25 is a time of year when millions of people around the world join together to show their commitment to ending malaria deaths by 2015. This NET-work includes governments, countries, celebrities, non-profits, companies, and people like YOU. 

Last night I attended a screening at American University of a new documentary film, “When the Night Comes.” Directed by Bobby Bailey (who you may know through his work with Invisible Children), the film follows Bobby and two friends as they learn about malaria when traveling through northern Uganda meeting mothers, youth, health workers, and children who are all affected by this disease. The film is incredibly compelling –  funny at times and tragic at others – but most importantly I walked away feeling inspired and hopeful that we can come together and work to end malaria deaths by 2015.

“When the Night Comes” will soon be available on the Nothing But Nets Store, but you can watch the film trailer at www.WhenTheNightComes.com.

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. 

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.

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!

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.

The clock is ticking. There are 24 hours and counting (more or less depending on where you live!) until the giant, glowing ball descends in Times Square, ringing in the New Year.

24 hours left to drop the New Year’s Eve ball on malaria. Have you sent a net and saved a life yet?

More than a year ago, we launched a campaign with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to send one million nets to refugees in malaria-endemic countries in Africa. Since then, we’ve delivered thousands of your nets and Messages of Hope to displaced families in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

One more week until it’s time to toast to the New Year – hasn’t 2009 been a great year? I think it has. But what’s making this year end so great is that we have some amazing support rolling in to help us reach our goal of sending 160,000 nets to refugees by 2010. This just in: a generous anonymous donor will match your gifts up to $200,000 to help us get to the finish line!

Inspired by Rick Reilly’s $25,000 match and the NBA Cares and HP special offer to give NBA game tickets to Nothing But Nets donors, our anonymous donor was eager to get in the game. Within 24 hours, donors met Rick’s match. So $200,000 is nothing, right? We're close to our goal -- this is your chance to turn your $10 into $20! 

As I prepare for Thanksgiving this week, images of Joyce, her newborn daughter Priscilla, and of the hundreds of other refugees we met in Uganda fill my head and move me to think about the meaning of gratitude.

There was no shortage of thanks from the women and children in the refugee camps in Uganda. These families were grateful for a simple bed net – something we are fortunate enough not to need. But as I recall handing over these nets and messages of hope, I am the one who feels fortunate; fortunate to be able to help others in need.

Co-authored by Danielle Garrahan

Big news! Nothing But Nets is uniting with our global malaria partners to build buzz about malaria prevention in the lead-up to World Cup 2010 in South Africa -- the first time the World Cup will play out on the continent of Africa. So we’re using this milestone to kick up awareness and show people how easily they can join the fight against malaria in a new partnership called United Against Malaria.

Many of you already know that malaria is preventable and treatable. In fact, in the 90 minutes it takes to play a soccer match, we can save 180 people who would otherwise die from this disease.

That’s why we at the United Nations Foundation and Nothing But Nets joined other leading malaria organizations such as Malaria No More, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Roll Back Malaria, and PSI in United Against Malaria, which launched in New York and Ethiopia earlier this month.

The new partnership also unites soccer stars, governments, corporations, and people like you in the global fight against malaria. By acting now, we can achieve our goal of bed net coverage by the end of 2010. And in the words of Awa Coll-Seck of Roll Back Malaria -- we will use “futbol fever to end malaria fever!”

The end of the year is upon us already -- how did that happen so quickly? There are 7 weeks left until 2010. But aside from ringing in the New Year with a party hat, noisemakers, and Ryan Seacrest, we have an even bigger task ahead of us: 160,000 nets are needed for refugees by Dec. 31. 

Gulu, Uganda

I was sitting in the Paicho Camp health clinic among a handful of pregnant women who were waiting to visit with the head nurse, when a young woman walked in holding a baby in her arms, close to her chest, wrapped in a pink blanket. The woman, I learned, is named Joyce – Apeyo Joyce. She was 17 years old. And the baby, peacefully content in her mother’s arms, is Priscilla. She was just six weeks old, and had been born at just four pounds, and was two months premature.

Priscilla was born in a tiny room in a health clinic with no electricity, to a young, first-time mother living in a camp in northern Uganda. Priscilla had already beaten so many odds. Needless to say, she is a miracle.