The International Day of Happiness is an official UN day that “recognizes the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal and the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness, and the well-being of all peoples.”
Each year, International Day of Happiness takes place on March 20 – and this year we want to celebrate by highlighting progress made in the fight to defeat malaria. Incredible advancement against the disease has been made, but there is still work to be done. Together, we can be the generation to end malaria for good!
Here’s what’s making us happy about progress made in the fight to defeat malaria:
Numbers like this certainly make us happy! In 2000, only 2% of the population was sleeping under a bed net. Now, over 55% of families have life-saving nets to protect them from malaria. It only takes $10 to purchase a long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed net, distribute it, and educate communities on its use.
Since 2006, Nothing But Nets has raised $60 million to help deliver nearly 10 million bed nets, train community health workers, provide diagnostics and treatment, and conduct monitoring and evaluation to protect families from malaria. We are only one piece of the puzzle made by the global malaria community in the fight to end this disease.
There are methods of ending malaria beyond the net. In fact, Nothing But Nets also provides preventative medicines for infants and pregnant women and through application of insecticides on the indoor walls of homes, supports community health workers to educate communities as well as provide early diagnostic tools and treatment. These “beyond the net” programs make us happy – and put us one step closer to ending malaria for good.
Not too long ago, a child died from malaria every 30 seconds. Now, it’s every two minutes. We are so happy about the progress made in the fight to defeat malaria – but our work is far from done! Please send a net and help protect a child from malaria today at nothingbutnets.net/donate.
In 2014 we launched The Million Nets Pledge, a special two-year commitment to send one million nets and other malaria interventions to the most vulnerable families in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2016. We are proud to announce that we surpassed our goal in 2016, also the 10th year anniversary of Nothing But Nets! In fact, over the last 10 years we have sent over 10 million nets to protect families from malaria.
The Million Nets Pledge reflected our ongoing commitment to achieve the United Nations-led Global Goals and to support the concerted worldwide efforts to end malaria within a generation. We are proud to continue our work to send nets, provide malaria diagnosis and treatment, train health workers, and deliver malaria education and awareness campaigns for refugees.
We recently launched “Under the Net,” a virtual reality film that tells the story of Amisa, an 11-year-old refugee girl living in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania with her mother and six siblings.
Struggling to survive each day, and with no protection from mosquitoes that carry malaria at night, you will experience Amisa’s life through her eyes. Hope abounds as her family moves into a new home, gets treatment for malaria, and she and her siblings prepare to start school in the fall none of which is possible without the life-saving protection of the bed nets you can help provide.
Learn more about her story and watch the film here.
Across the world there are refugee families who have fled their homes for safety. After all they’ve endured, they shouldn’t have to go to sleep in fear of mosquitoes. Read their stories and learn about the life-saving protection bed nets survive so children can attend school, be healthy, and thrive.
As the world’s largest global grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funding to fight malaria, we are proud to engage youth across the country in the fight to defeat malaria. Our Champions Council makes us happy when they engage Congress and other elected leaders to advocate for critical malaria funding for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. educate and inspire communities around the world to take action, and raise crucial dollars to fight malaria through community events and online actions. Meet them here.
Throughout the year our champions raise awareness for the fight to defeat malaria with their elected officials both on Capitol Hill and in their districts. At last year’s Champion Summit, our champions attended over 80 meetings with their state representatives to encourage support for US leadership in the fight to defeat malaria. At lunch, Congresswoman Judy Chu and Representative Don Beyer spoke about their passion for this cause and encouraged our Champions to keep up the good work. Recently, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) joined the Nothing But Nets campaign and our partner Junior Chamber International USA (JCI USA) in Detroit to discuss the importance of U.S. government investments in malaria prevention programs. And at a recent town hall meeting in El Paso, Texas’ Representative for the 16th District, Congressman Beto O’Rourke spoke about the critical importance of protecting deployed military personnel from malaria.
Raising our voices makes us happy! You can raise your voice for the fight to defeat malaria here.
We can be the generation to end malaria – but only if we work together. Our partners make us happy because we know that everyone from students to CEOs, bishops to basketball players can join the fight against malaria by giving $10 to send nets and save lives. From our champion Stephen Curry’s Three-for-Three Challenge to our work with partners like Cotopaxi, JCI, NBA Cares, Parachute, Sumitomo and more, we want everyone to join us in the fight to end this disease for good.
© United to Beat Malaria. 2024 • Save Lives, Beat Malaria
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