Nothing But Nets

For months, we’ve been talking about World Cup, and it’s finally here. For the first time, the World Cup will be starting tomorrow, in South Africa. All eyes are on Africa and on the tournament, so it’s a great opportunity to raise awareness and funds to send nets and save lives from malaria, one of the leading killers of children in Africa.

But the soccer players aren’t the only ones competing – we’re challenging all of our NET-Raisers to a contest of your own to raise funds for bed nets throughout the World Cup tournament. The winner won’t get a championship trophy, but he NET-Raiser that raises the most during the World Cup (from June 11-July 11) will get a special prize pack of Nothing But Nets™gear, and will be featured as a Champion on NothingButNets.net. 

Not a NET-Raiser yet? It’s easy to become one. Sign up here and fundraise as an individual or start a team today! ANYONE can join the team to fight malaria and be United Against Malaria.

Let the games begin! Log into your NET-Raiser participant center now and start recruiting your team members to unite and score against malaria.

P.S. Send an email to info@nothingbutnets.net and let us know how you’re raising awareness about malaria during the World Cup!

Below is another great story from of one of our supporters, Jenna Glazier, who will be hosting an event at her school in support of Nothing But Nets. Jenna says:

“Every night when I fall asleep, usually the worst thing that can happen to me while I sleep is I might have a nightmare. For many children in Africa, the worst is often death from a bite by a mosquito which carries the malaria virus.

I recently watched an episode of AMERICAN IDOL, which featured many singers, actresses, and musicians who joined together in a charitable effort known as IDOL GIVES BACK. The UN Foundation was one of the charities featured on the show. One of their campaigns, Nothing But Nets, supplies mosquito nets to African villages to protect children from mosquito bites while they sleep.

Last summer, one of our supporters started a project that would last months and have a profound impact on herself, her community, and malaria prevention. Alexis Pearson, a Girl Scout from Detroit, began by converting an empty lot by her church into a great community garden. Alexis and her friends worked together to grow vegetables from scratch and sell them at her local farmers market. She also decided to donate the money they raised to an organization that worked in international development. But at first, she wasn’t sure which one to support.

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! 

Earlier this week, the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets team headed out to Salt Lake City, Utah, for Major League Soccer All-Star festivities. On the first day, more than 50 youth soccer players joined us at the Rio Tinto Stadium to participate in a MLS W.O.R.K.S./Nothing But Nets soccer clinic. The participants were challenged to learn about malaria and improve their soccer skills. The Nothing But Nets team worked with the kids while they did different activities that highlighted the importance of malaria awareness and the work of the campaign. MLS soccer coaches then worked with the kids to help them hone their speed and agility on the field. We were joined by players Jean Alexandre and Robbie Findley of Real Salt Lake, who joined the activities and signed autographs for their young fans. As always, it was great seeing the kids get so pumped up about malaria prevention.

The next day, MLS W.O.R.K.S. presented a great evening full of music and fun in multiple venues around Park City related to the MLS All-Star game in Salt Lake City. Nothing But Nets was there spreading the "buzz" about malaria prevention.