In the 30 seconds it will take you to read this page, somewhere in Africa a child will die from malaria, a disease that has been infecting nearly 500 million people each year and killing more than 1 million of them. The good news is that malaria is preventable – with your help!

Malaria can be prevented through the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, which create a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when most transmission occurs. Just one bed net can keep a family of four safe from malaria transmission for up to four years! Malaria is the leading killer of children in Africa. But most people in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $1 a day and can't afford bed nets.

Our Mount Vernon youth have joined the Nothing But Nets campaign to raise funds to purchase nets. This is a project of the People of the United Methodist Church, the National Basketball Association, and the United Nations Foundation. A $10 donation goes directly toward the purchase, distribution, and education about proper use of an insecticide-treated bed net. And the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match each donation.

Please prayerfully consider making a generous contribution to this project. Make checks payable to Mount Vernon United Methodist Church and indicate it's for “Nothing But Nets.” We can make a difference and save lives!

April 15, 2008 - Update on the campaign:
    We have met our goal: 500 mosquito nets! This means that 500 families of four will be protected. Thank you, people of Mount Vernon and the Danville community!
    The World Health Organization recently reported that widespread distribution of mosquito nets and a new medicine have reduced malaria deaths in children in Ethiopa by more than 50 percent. In Rwanda, the number of deaths dropped by more than 60 percent in only two months!
     – Beth Bauman, Youth Director