Net Gains 4.0: $50,000

As foreshadowed by Peter in a previous posting, it’s time to announce a new fundraising objective for Spread the Net. You all were so generous that we came close to meeting our initial goal in only a couple of weeks… Since this whole adventure is firmly rooted in a sense of realistic challenge (provided we are issued visas to Sudan), it just seemed a little too easy. And besides, Spread the Net is a REALLY good cause.

So, we are setting our sights on raising $50,000, or the equivalent of 5,000 nets. Clearly, reaching this new, higher objective is going to take us some time, but we look forward to holding some events and finding other creative ways to support an organisation that is really effective at alleviating malaria.

If you are interested in learning a little more about why bed nets are one of the best ways to reduce malaria, this recent article published in the Economist is a good summary. For some time there has been a really interesting debate about whether it’s best to give malarial nets away for free or sell them. New research from the World Health Organisation shows that giving them away is actually preferable. UNICEF, which is the implementing partner for Spread the Net, gives the nets to individuals most vulnerable to malaria (children under 5, pregnant women and persons with HIV/Aids).

On a personal note, it’s hard to believe this is my first blog posting ever (I’m definitely going to be the old man on this trip…). Anyway things have changed dramatically in my own life over the past week; I moved from Ottawa to Afghanistan. For the next months I will be working at Canada’s Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar City doing a review of CIDA’s operations in the province. Under normal circumstances my jetting off might have left our trip in the lurch, so it must be said that Peter is truly a saint as he has offered to handle many of the preparations from Canada. There is a fair bit to do and while I’ll try to do my bit from over here, I will be mostly focussed on the task at hand, situated on the other side of the world and living in a context of great instability. You'll have to forgive me if I don’t post on this blog all that often.