Ever since I saw Rick Reilly on Colbert last week, I’ve been meaning to do a quick post on the organization he was promoting. Nothing But Nets is a campaign of UN Foundation to raise money to prevent the spread of malaria. The campaign came together as a result of a column Reilly wrote for Sport Illustrated pleading with his readers to contribute to the efforts to prevent the spread of malaria. According to their website, malaria “infects more than 500 million people a year and kills more than a million— one person dies about every 30 seconds.” The bed nets are an incredibly effective and cheap means of reducing transmission.
They’ve already shipped over 2 million nets. Their goal is to ultimately reach every country in Africa. One of the best things about the organization is that 100% of the donation contribute to the distribution of nets; not a single penny will go toward administrative costs. $10 covers the cost of producing, shipping, and installing a net for a family in need. That’s a remarkable gift at the cost of about two or three drinks from Starbucks; take a second to consider that: a life for a couple cups of coffee. If you prefer to get something tangible for your donation, you can buy a Buzzkill T-shirt for $20, the profit from which will send a net where it’s needed.
