Nothing But Nets Celebrates Its First Five Years

I still remember the night I read the Sports Illustrated column by Rick Reilly that inspired the United Nations Foundation to launch theNothing But Nets campaign. I gave immediately, and continued to give to Nothing But Nets over the years.

More than five years later, a lot has changed. I’m still a passionate support of the campaign, but I’m also lucky enough to be the Director ofNothing But Nets. The biggest change, though, is the progress we’ve made toward ending malaria deaths in Africa. Thanks to the generosity of our amazing donors and partners, Nothing But Nets has helped cut malaria deaths in Africa by more than one-third by raising money to send and distribute life-saving bed nets to families who need them.

We invite you to learn how far Nothing But Nets has come by browsing our Celebrating Five Years report: 

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Since 2006, we’ve traveled to Mali, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kenya, and beyond to distribute insecticide-treated nets. We’ve appeared on “The Colbert Report” and rung the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. We’ve inspired a Boy Scout to hike 100 miles for us and a 9-year-old to swim across the San Francisco Bay. We’ve been featured on a hit sitcom, on Broadway, and at the United Nations, and worked with athletes, actresses, elected officials, and everyday Americans. All to send nets and save lives. 

Along the journey, our mission and hope remain the same. No child should die from a preventable disease. And as we learned from the recent World Malaria Report from our partners at the World Health Organization, we need more bed nets than ever to sustain the gains made against malaria. With the help of our committed partners and grassroots supporters, we have raised more than $45 million to send more than 7 million nets to countries across Africa.

At Nothing But Nets, we are dedicated to fighting malaria like never before. I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings.