Nothing But Nets

A UN Safety Net for Refugees in Africa

Refugees in Africa have fled their native countries because of political and economic strife, ethnic tensions, and natural disasters. They traveled into the unknown with little more than the clothes on their backs in hopes of a better, safer life. Some refugees settle in camps for months, some for years. But their stay can be cut short with just one deadly mosquito bite. Refugees are particularly vulnerable to malaria – in fact, malaria is the number one cause of death and illness among refugees in Africa.

Women and children are especially at risk of infection – and they make up three quarters of the populations in these camps– largely because of the living conditions in the camps. Small, close quarters and limited resources are just a few of the factors in the spread of this disease. Pools of water from heavy downpours in the approaching rainy seasons become ideal breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. 

VIDEO: Senior Malaria Advisor Kevin Starace describes camp conditions:

Refugees have survived displacement, discrimination and sometimes war – they should not then die of a mosquito bite. Right now is a critical time to get bed nets to the people that need them before it’s too late. The rainy season in Eastern Africa stretches from July to August and December to January.

This fall, Nothing But Nets will work closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to send urgently-needed nets to more than 630,000 refugees in 27 camps in four countries where the threat is greatest:

• Uganda
• Eastern Sudan
• Kenya
• Tanzania

Last year, we appealed for 40,000 emergency bed nets for refugees in Chad, and you answered. But we need to send 275,000 bed nets to refugee camps in Uganda, Eastern Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania now to save thousands more lives.

UNHCR’s refugee protection programs are vital, as are their food, water and medical supply distributions. But often, the missing link is simple: these refugees need life-saving bed nets.  And you can send one for just $10.

In the next few months, we’ll be sharing stories from refugees and the aid workers who are helping them through these difficult times. Continue to check this page for updates and more information as we work together to send nets and help save the lives of these refugees.

Learn more about refugees from UNHCR.