Local congregation joins 'Nothing but Nets' effort

Friday, March 28, 2008

The people of the Nevada United Methodist Church are participating in a malaria prevention campaign that plays on the image of ballsflying into nets to encourage donations for malaria nets for African families.

One of the campaign's most appealing aspects is that fact that "anyone, anywhere" can forge this lifesaving link with children in Africa, where a million people are dying of malaria every year, 75 percent of them children.

The campaign asks for a $10 contribution. The first $7 purchases and distributes the nets, which can cover up to four family members as they sleep. The last $3 pays for community workers to educate families on how to use the insecticide-treated bed nets. Partners in Nothing But Nets include The people of The United Methodist Church, the United Nations Foundation, Sports Illustrat-ed and the National Basket-ball Association's foundation NBA Cares, Millennium Promise and the Measles Initiative.

The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and United MethodistCommunications are coordinating participation in the campaign.

The campaign originated with Rick Reilly, a Sports Illustrated columnist who became interested in the topic after watching a BBC television special, according to Elizabeth McKee, director of marketing for the United Nations Foundation. "When he called us, we happened to have the mechanisms in place to distribute insecticide-treated bed nets," she said.

On May 5, 2006, Reilly wrote a column, headlined "Nothing but nets," in which he asked readers who "have ever gotten a thrill by throwing, kicking, knocking, dunking, slamming, putting up, cutting down or jumping over a net" to donate money for bed nets. He raised $12 million.

A Web site, www.Nothing-ButNets.net, was launched in November 2006 and online donations can be made through that site.

The people of the United Methodist Church have a partner page on the site. United Methodist Commun-ications has a special Web page through www.UMC.org in conjunction with the campaign's site. Both sites feature additional malaria initiatives of the denomination. McKee said it was a "natural synergy" for the people of the United Methodist Church to join the "Nothing but Nets" campaign because of the denomination's long experience with malaria work.

The United Nations Foundation -- a public charity created in 1998 with a $1 billion gift from Ted Turner to support U.N. causes and activities -- builds public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems.

To distribute the nets throughout communities in Africa in 2007 and 2008, Nothing but Nets has partnered with the Measles Initiative -- an integrated health campaign whose partners include the American Red Cross, Center for Disease Control and Preven-tion, World Health Organi-zation, UNICEF and the UN Foundation.

The first distribution of nets -- 150,000 nets in Nigeria -- occurred in October 2006 and Reilly visited Nigeria with foundation staff the week of Nov. 6 "to ensure the nets were actually hung," McKee said. She reported that the community health workers who provide education about malaria and demonstrate proper use of the nets "are the most important link to the chain."

The Nevada United Methodist Church has invited other area churches to get involved with this lifesaving campaign. They have also created a special Web page, www.umcn.info/nets for information and for making secure online donations to the Nevada Buzzkill Team 100 percent of the funds raised are used directly for the purchase and distribution of bed nets.

Thanks to the United Nations Foundation, the administrative costs are being picked up.

Nevada area residents are encouraged to contribute to this vital campaign through the secure online site, by supporting their own church effort or by sending their donations to: The Nevada United Methodist Church, 500 South College, Nevada, MO 64772.Ʒ

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