Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The People of the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. Their utilization of existing distribution networks enable them to utilize 100% of all donations for nets (no overhead).

Malaria is preventable, but infects nearly 500 million people each year and kills more than one million of those who become infected. Ninety percent of deaths caused by malaria occur in Africa where the disease is a leading killer of children. Every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria. Children who are able to survive the disease are faced with physical and mental impairments, such as poor growth and development.

Moreover, every day 25 million pregnant African women risk severe illness and harm to their unborn children from a malaria infection. Malaria contributes to low birth weight among newborn infants, one of the leading risk factors for infant mortality.

Malaria incapacitates people and keeps them from working while they recover or take care of sick children. Malaria keeps countries poor. In addition to the burden on the health system, malaria illness and death cost Africa $12 billion a year in lost productivity.

Every $10 donation to Nothing But Nets goes directly toward the purchase, distribution, and education about the proper use of an insecticide-treated bed net. Bed nets work in two ways. They stop mosquitoes from biting during the night and spreading the disease, and the insecticide on the net kill the mosquitoes when they land on it, stopping them from flying on to find their next victim. Bed nets can prevent malaria transmission by 50 percent, and they are distributed through the Measles Initiative – a partnership of the United Nations Foundation, American Red Cross, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and local country governments and ministries of health. With your help, we can stop this deadly disease.