Help Cover Sierra Leone with Nets
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton is rallying Western PA United Methodists to take the lead in an effort to save lives by blanketing the nation of Sierra Leone with insecticide-treated bed nets through the Nothing But Nets campaign.
“The Red Cross and the UN Foundation have asked us to work with them to blanket the whole country of Sierra Leone,” said the Bishop, who leads the United Methodist Nothing but Nets initiative.
“Our denomination has raised $1.5 million and we need another $1.5 million by June 30, so we’re launching another denomination-wide appeal.”
A $10 donation will get a bed net to protect four people in Africa.
The Bishop said he’ll reach out specifically to youth and young adults, who have spearheaded Nothing But Nets fund-raising efforts in many local churches and communities. Based on responses he’s received and the enthusiasm shown by Confirmation groups who met with him at the UM Center this year, he’s counting on the young people to take the lead again.
The Bishop said he plans to record a video appeal that will be posted on Facebook and other venues in the next few weeks. It will be distributed to local churches to show in Sunday School classes, Bible studies and other places people gather.
“I hope we can raise a significant amount between May 1 and our annual conference in mid-June,” Bishop Bickerton said.
“It’s vital to get moving now because we already have the infrastructure in place to distribute the nets in Sierra Leone.We just need the funds to buy them.”
In Africa, 3,000 children die every day from malaria, 75 per cent of them children, according to the World Health Organization.
“Malaria is a crisis that is threatening many of God’s children across the globe,” Bishop Bickerton said. “Insecticide-treated mosquito nets are the most scientifically proven way to stop its spread.”
Since it began in 2006, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $25 million for 2.5 million nets.
Inspired by a column by sportswriter Rick Reilly, Nothing But Nets’ founding partners include The United Methodist Church, United Nations Foundation, National Basketball’s Association NBA Cares, and Sports Illustrated.
According to Roll Back Malaria, there are 109 countries where malaria is a health hazard. An anti-malaria international partnership set 2010 as a target for delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment.
Donations to Nothing But Nets may be made online via the link below .To donate through The Advance, place checks in church offering plates, designating the gift for Advance No. 982015, Nothing
But Nets. Mail gifts to Advance GCFA, PO Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9063. All gifts will be used to purchase and distribute nets and educate people on their use.
For information and links to downloadable resources, click here or go to www.umc.org and click on "Imagine No More Malaria" at the top of the page.