$10 Mosquito Nets Catching On Across U.S.

A feature story on the front page of the New York Times today highlights the success of $10 malaria bednet campaigns.

“Donating $10 to buy a mosquito net to save an African child from malaria has become a hip way to show you care, especially for teenagers. The movement is like a modern version of the March of Dimes, created in 1938 to defeat polio, or like collecting pennies for Unicef on Halloween….

Part of what has helped the campaign catch on is its sheer simplicity and affordability — $10 buys one net to save a child. Nothing But Nets, the best-known campaign, has raised $20 million from 70,000 individuals, most of it in donations averaging $60.

That is a small fraction of the overall need, which experts estimate at $2.5 billion. But it gives the effort a populist edge, and participation is psychologically rewarding for anyone whose philanthropic pockets are shallower than those of Bill Gates.”

Nothing But Nets - and a Game

You may know that malaria kills more than a million people (not just children – people) a year –every 30 seconds a child in African dies – and costs African economies over $12 billion.
 
But there is a simple solution to this large problem – an insecticide-treated net. $10 covers the cost to purchase and distribute the net and educate on its use, and for a limited time, a generous sponsor of Nothing But Nets will send a bed net on your behalf when you sign up! Saving lives has never been easier.  
 
To commemorate World Malaria Day on April 25th, we’ve created an interactive online game, Deliver the Net, www.NothingButNets.net/game that let’s you experience the distribution of bed nets and some of the obstacles we face on the ground.
 
Through the UN Foundation and our Nothing But Nets campaign we’ve already helped cover seven African nations, including Zimbabwe and Mali, and we have our sights set on more. 
 
I hope you enjoy the game!

 
-Shannon Raybold, United Nations Foundation