(NAPSA)—Have you ever wished you could play in the NBA or rub elbows with Bill Gates? What if you could work with them to do something even more amazing, something that could save millions of lives? The United Nations Foundation recently launched Nothing But Nets (NothingButNets.net), a grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria in Africa. A $10 donation to the campaign goes directly toward the purchase, distribution, and education about the properuse of an insecticide-treated bed net. The National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, Sports Illustrated, The People of the United Methodist Church, the Mark J. Gordon Foundation, VH1, AOL Black Voices, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation haveall answered thecall to action. Malaria is spread by mosquito bites. Bed nets prevent mosquitoes from biting and the insecticide kills them before they can bite others. That means many of the 500 million infected every year could be saved. In addition to being deadly, malaria is a root cause of poverty in developing countries. It puts a huge burden on health systems and costs Africa $12 billion a year in lost productivity. Pregnant women who are infected are at risk of having children with severe birth defects, a further drain on often-strained financial and emotional resources. Malaria also contributes to low birth weight among newborns, one of the leading risk factors for infant mortality. That’s why thousandsof people have joined the fight against malaria, including Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, who helped fuel the campaign when he featured bed nets in his column. Malaria Kills Each year, more than 1 million people die from malaria. Most of those that die are children. Send a Net These deathscan be easily prevented with an insecticide-treated bed net. AS$10 donation to Nothing But Nets goesdirectly toward the purchase, distribution, and education aboutthe properuse ofa bed net. Save a Life Each bed net savesat least one life. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net andsave life. @ Six-year-old Katherine Commale, a memberof the United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania, raised more than $10,000 at her church by making presentations and putting on skits to explain the importanceof bed nets. “We recognize the challenge in raising awareness about a disease that most Americans think was eradicated decades ago,” said Kathy Bushkin, executive vice president and chief operatingofficer of the United Nations Foundation. “But the great thing about this campaign is that there is a simple solution, and people can see that their donations are going towardlifesaving bed nets.” It’s easy to join the campaign and save lives from home, school or work; and thanks to a matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, donations will go even further—every $10 donation will now send two nets and potentially save two lives. Visit www.NothingButNets.net for more information.
