NBA Stars Team Up With United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets Campaign To Send Lifesaving Anti-Malaria Bed Nets To Africa

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 19 Mar 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets meet tonight for the third time this season and - no matter the outcome - children and families in Africa will benefit from the on-court match-up. The United Nations Foundation announced today that Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng has pledged $50 to the Nothing But Nets campaign (http://www.NothingButNets.net) for each basket made during the regular season. The Foundation also announced that New Jersey Nets center DeSagana Diop - newly acquired from the Dallas Mavericks - will donate $100 for each blocked shot.

"Around eight million cases of malaria occur each year in my home country, yet more than 80 percent of households don't have access to lifesaving bed nets," said Deng, a native of Sudan. "I hope my commitment to donate $50 for each basket I make this season will inspire others to send a net and save a life - because together we can help cover the continent."

Diop, who is from Senegal, understands the importance of sleeping under bed nets. "This season, all of my blocked shots will help Nothing But Nets send bed nets, it's seven feet of Diop against the 7-millimeter mosquito!"

Nothing But Nets, a project of the UN Foundation, is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by delivering anti-malaria bed nets to those most in need. Although malaria has been eliminated in the United States, it still kills more than one million people each year - most of whom are children in Africa. Bed nets are an affordable method of preventing the spread of the deadly disease. A $10 donation is all it takes to purchase and distribute a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net and educate the recipient on its proper use.

"No matter what happens tonight on the court, the children of Africa are the real winners," said Kathy Calvin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the UN Foundation. "The NBA has been with us since the creation of Nothing But Nets and together we've helped send nearly two million nets to Africa. With the help of Luol and DeSagana, we'll be able to send even more nets and save more lives."

For all shots Diop successfully blocked as a Maverick, Dallas-based ExxonMobil will match contributions dollar-for-dollar. Total donations will be announced at the close of the season.

Anyone can learn more about malaria and get involved with the Nothing But Nets campaign by logging on to http://www.NothingButNets.net. The first-ever World Malaria Day is April 25, 2008. Nothing But Nets is teaming up with millions of Americans to take action. It's never been easier to send nets and save lives. Visit www.NothingButNets.net/WorldMalariaDay for more information. And to learn more about what Deng and Diop and their Netraiser teams are doing, visit their web pages at http://www.NothingButNets.net/Luol and http://www.NothingButNets.net/Diop.

About Nothing But Nets

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, tens of thousands of people have joined the Campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, The People of the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. It only costs $10 to provide a long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit http://www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.

About the United Nations Foundation

The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems, and broadens support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. Visit http://www.UNFoundation.org for more information.