UN Foundation Mobilizes 25 Million People to Cover a Continent
Partnership Will Send Nets and Save Lives to Prevent Malaria Across Africa
New York (Issues Wire / Vocus) April 23, 2008 -- Standing with religious, civic and business leaders representing more than 25 million people around the world, the UN Foundation announced today a grassroots campaign to cover the African continent with long-lasting insecticide-treated nets to help eliminate malaria deaths as soon as possible. Appearing at the United Nations as part of a week of activities related to the first-ever World Malaria Day on April 25, 2008, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth was joined in the announcement by Rick Reilly, a renowned sports columnist and co-creator of Nothing But Nets, a global campaign to send bed nets to Africa. Also in attendance were Dr. Regina Rabinovich of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr. Michel Kazatchkine of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
& #8220;Eliminating malaria is going to take millions of people and that is what is represented here today,” said Wirth. “Whether you’re a basketball or soccer fan, someone buying a plane ticket to visit a friend, or a family going to church on Sunday or synagogue on Saturday, you can help save a life by sending a net. And if enough of us do this, we can cover the continent and prevent millions of deaths each year.”
Standing with Wirth and Reilly to announce their organization’s commitments to end malaria were: Thomas J. Bickerton, Bishop, United Methodist Church; Steven Culbertson, President, Youth Service America; Don Garber, Commissioner, Major League Soccer; Graham Hanlon, President, Junior Chamber International; Reverend John Nunes, President, Lutheran World Relief; and David Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association.
“This is truly a dream team for malaria prevention,” said Wirth. “For the first time ever, leaders from all walks of life – faith and business, sports and philanthropy – are mobilizing millions of people to help achieve an important public health goal – covering the continent of Africa in life-saving bed nets.”
Through business, religious, and civic organizations more than 25 million people across the world will be mobilized to help fight malaria. These 2008 commitments include:
- Junior Chamber International (JCI): JCI will engage its 1.5 million members and alumni around the world to send 1 million bed nets to Africa, through the Nothing But Nets Campaign.
- Lutheran World Relief (LWR): In partnership with two Lutheran Church bodies, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Lutheran Church Missouri synod, LWR will engage their combined 1 million members to support anti-malaria efforts.
- Major League Soccer (MLS): Each MLS team will feature the Nothing But Nets campaign in-stadium during the 2008 season with support from League sponsor, Makita. Over 500,000 fans will be reached through a PSA featuring national spokesperson, Diego Gutierrez of the Chicago Fire, and team emails will reach hundreds of thousands more fans over the course of the season.
- Microsoft: Microsoft will feature Nothing But Nets in its internal employee giving program, which reaches 48,000 U.S.-based Microsoft employees.
- National Basketball Association/Women’s National Basketball Association (NBA/WNBA): Every NBA team is promoting the Nothing But Nets campaign through in-arena events, web site promotion and fundraising efforts in March and April, and each WNBA team similarly is promoting the Campaign in July, helping Nothing But Nets reach over 1 million Americans in 2008.
- Orkin: Orkin is launching a cause-marketing, employee giving campaign in partnership with the Nothing But Nets campaign called Fight The Bite. This effort will engage the 8,000 Orkin employees and the tens of thousands of Orkin customers in the effort to prevent malaria.
- People of the United Methodist Church: The United Methodist Church will engage its 12 million members worldwide in the fight against malaria.
- United Airlines: United Airlines will include PSAs for Nothing But Nets in its in-flight magazine, Hemispheres and on its in-flight video network. These are expected to reach up to 50,000 people per day in 2008.
- Youth Service America (YSA): In partnership with Nothing But Nets, Youth Service America is reaching out to its network or over 45,000 young people and teachers to engage them in malaria awareness through service learning.
For a complete list of partner organizations, visit www.NothingButNets.net or www.UNFoundation.org/malaria.
In 2006, the UN Foundation created the Nothing But Nets campaign, a grassroots effort to raise awareness about malaria and help fund the procurement and distribution of, as well as education about, long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets in Africa. To date the Campaign has raised almost $20 million and distributed nearly one million nets across Africa including Angola, Mali, Nigeria and Chad.
Earlier this month, at a special session at the United Nations dedicated to the Millennium Development Goals, the UN Foundation’s Chairman Ted Turner announced a faith-based initiative aimed at raising an additional $200 million in support of eliminating malaria deaths. The UN Foundation’s Malaria Partnership Initiative also helps promote health system strengthening (through the Global Fund and Measles Initiative) and works with Roll Back Malaria on global advocacy efforts.
About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation champions the United Nations and connects people, ideas and capital to help the UN solve global problems. Through our campaigns and partnerships, the UN Foundation makes it easy for individuals, businesses and non-governmental organizations to work with the UN on key global challenges. The UN Foundation is a public charity. For a complete listing of UN Foundation grants and programs or to learn more about the United Nations Foundation, visit www.UNFounfoundation.org.
Press Contact
Amy DiElsi
(o) 202.419.3230
(c) 202-492-3078
(e) adielsi @ unfoundation.org
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