Nothing But Nets

United Nations Foundation Issues Urgent Appeal for Funds to Send 40,000 Anti-Malaria Nets to Chad-Sudan Border

Nothing But Nets to Raise $400,000 to Send Nets, Save Lives;

The United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) today made an emergency fundraising appeal for the $400,000 needed to send 40,000 long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets to temporary camps on the Chad-Sudan border. The Foundation is calling on all Americans to respond to this immediate need for life-saving nets. The bed nets will help to prevent the transmission of malaria among the 200,000 refugees and internally displaced people living in 15 temporary camps due to the spreading crisis in Darfur.

With the start of the rainy season in June, the prevalence of malaria—a leading killer of children in Africa—is on the rise. It is estimated that one out of every four children under five in the camps will die from the disease if the bed nets to protect them and their families are not delivered.

The UN High Commission on Refugees, UNICEF and the MENTOR Initiative—an NGO working on-the-ground in the region—recognized this emergency need and sought assistance from the UN Foundation with an urgent request for the bed nets to protect at-risk families living in the temporary camps along the Chad-Sudan and Chad-CAR (Central African Republic) border.

The UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign—a global, grassroots effort to combat malaria—provides the pre-existing infrastructure needed to accept donations and ensure the delivery of the nets. In cooperation with its Nothing But Nets partners, the UN Foundation has committed to raise the funds necessary to provide these bed nets and save lives.

"To meet this immediate need in Chad, the UN Foundation, through our Nothing But Nets campaign, is asking individuals to answer our call—ten dollars at a time," said Kathy Bushkin Calvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, UN Foundation. "A donation of 10 dollars is all it takes to purchase and distribute a life-saving net and educate a community health worker on its proper use."

The NBA's Chicago Bulls, a local partner in the Nothing But Nets campaign, announced today that they will mobilize their friends, fans and supporters—more than 80,000 individuals—to encourage their support of the appeal. The Chicago Bulls also announced that they are providing the first $10,000 for the emergency appeal.

"I am proud to say that my team has taken this issue, which is personally very important to me, and made it a priority," said Chicago Bulls forward and Sudan native Luol Deng. "And I urge all Americans—youth, athletes, business leaders, faith leaders, and others—to answer this call to send a net and save a life." Deng is also a national spokesperson for the Nothing But Nets campaign.

While malaria has been eliminated in the United States, it still kills more than one million people each year—most of whom are children. Bed nets are an affordable method of preventing the spread of the deadly disease. To donate, log on to www.NothingButNets.net.

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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 Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, the people of The United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. Other partners include VH1, The Mark J. Gordon Foundation, AOL Black Voices, Major League Soccer's MLS W.O.R.K.S., the Wasserman Foundation, The Women's National Basketball Association's WNBA Cares, and Rotarians' Action Group on Malaria. It costs only $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches individual donations dollar for dollar. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.

About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. More at www.unfoundation.org.

Press Contacts:
Sarah Balch                          Amy DiElsi, UN Foundation, Communications Officer
(o) 202-572-2986                 (o) 202-419-3230
(c) 917-558-6676                  (c) 215-990-3006
(e) sarah.balch@gmmb.com   (e) adielsi@unfoundation.org

Buzzkill Facts

Each year, malaria afflicts approximately a half-billion people (roughly the population of the United States, Canada, and Mexico combined).

• Malaria kills more than a million people per year; 90 percent of those who die are African children.
• Every 30 seconds in Africa a child dies of malaria.
• Malaria incapacitates people, keeping countries poor. In addition to the health burden, malaria illness and death cost Africa about $12 billion per year.