Daso-Blog

The rainy season is on the horizon in east Africa and with the Darfur conflict spreading, the NGO Nothing but Nets estimates that up to 25% of Chadian refugees could die from malaria this rainy season. What can you do to help? Here’s a post from the blog Firedoglake that will give you more information:

A while back, Mr. ReddHedd and I donated a hundred dollars to an organization called Nothing But Nets. It’s a group that funds the purchase of insecticide-treated nets to be sent to folks in areas where malaria is an ever-present danger — because these nets can mean the difference between life or death for children in some of these areas.

Each year, more than one million people die of malaria. Think about that for a moment: more than one million people.

This group buys a $10 net with each $10 donation, and teaches families how to use it for the prevention of malaria. This can make a concrete and tangible difference — immediately — in their lives. When we talked about making a donation, we were struck by the simplicity and the elegance of this — a simple net, for $10, can save a life. Literally save a life.

From the Nothing but Nets website, they have a report on humanitarian/fundraising work being done by the Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng:

It’s incredible. Just four weeks ago I was with the United Nations Foundation and Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls making an emergency appeal for nets to cover more than 200,000 refugees in Chad. Without insecticide-treated nets, it was estimated that 25% of these refugees would die from malaria.

Thanks to your generous and immediate response, we have raised the funds needed for 40,000 nets – nets that will literally save lives. Our partners in Chad – UNHCR, UNICEF and MENTOR – are getting the life-saving nets that you have supplied to children and families in need. Stay tuned for reports from the refugee camps, but in the meantime, on behalf of the partners of the Nothing But Net campaign, THANK YOU.