'Malaria No More' Launched at White House Summit

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Contact: Martin Edlund, Malaria No More, 917-224-3563

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /Christian Newswire/ -- "African children are dying from a disease Americans can help prevent," is the message from the White House Summit on Malaria, hosted by President George Bush and Laura Bush. "Malaria No More" was launched at the summit by private sector and non-profit leaders seeking to end deaths from malaria. More than 15 million Americans will be reached with this important message of hope and action.

Malaria No More, a non-profit network of NGOs, foundations, corporations, faith-based groups and international organizations, announced commitments of funds as well as 150,000 volunteers to reach 12.5 million people in Africa with training on prevention and treatment of malaria.

"Malaria No More is a grassroots movement to engage individuals and private institutions in supporting a comprehensive approach to controlling malaria," said John Bridgeland, CEO of Malaria No More. The first campaign is for long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, and a contribution of $10 covers the cost of purchasing and delivering a bed net and providing appropriate education on its use.

"When governments and the private sector work together," Bridgeland continued, "we can stop the devastation of this preventable and treatable disease and individuals can have a direct impact on saving a life."

Helene Gayle, the chief executive officer of CARE, said, "Once Americans learn that malaria is killing more than a million people a year - most of them children - and that they can do something about this preventable and treatable disease, I'm confident they will respond."

At the White House summit, Malaria No More, its seven founding partners, and 14 of its partners announced new resources and new initiatives to combat malaria:

MNM's partners committed to activate and seek donations from American consumers, students, volunteers and activists and 220 corporations will reach their customers and employees;

Over 1 million new bed nets will be provided to protect 2.5 million lives from malaria in Africa;

Scholastic and Malaria No More, thanks to a generous grant from the Abbott Fund, will publish and distribute educational materials to nearly 6 million 1st, 5th and 6th grade students in virtually every elementary school in America, demonstrating how children here can make a difference in the fight against malaria.

"It is critical for everyone to get involved in this fight to prevent unnecessary deaths from malaria," said Bonnie McElveen- Hunter, chair of the American Red Cross. "Together, in partnership with Malaria No More, and as citizens of the world, we have the opportunity to provide millions of African children with the gift of life," she continued.

In addition to the American Red Cross, the other founding members of Malaria No More are: Global Business Coalition on AIDS, TB, and Malaria; Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria; Millennium Promise; UNICEF; United Nations Foundation; and United Way.

"Fighting malaria is a critical part of the broader effort to end extreme poverty worldwide by 2025," said Jeffrey Flug, CEO of Millennium Promise. "It's a problem we can all help solve, which is why Millennium Promise is a proud founding partner of Malaria No More."

Recent Gallup Poll data show that Americans rank malaria last in a question about the seriousness of diseases around the world, well below HIV/AIDS, cancer, malnutrition and tuberculosis. Americans do better in identifying malaria as a serious disease in Africa, although awareness is still much lower than HIV/AIDS and poor nutrition. This is an awareness gap that Malaria No More has pledged to fill.

UNICEF is a founding member of Malaria No More and is collaborating with Malaria No More to fight malaria in Africa. Through an agreement with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Malaria No More will provide resources for UNICEF to purchase, distribute and provide training on bed nets and over time other life-saving commodities to people who need them.

Each of the founding partners is contributing resources, volunteers, networks, and materials to control malaria. The United Way of America is rallying its network of corporate partners to reach at least 4 million individuals to raise funds for bed nets. The United Nations Foundation through their "Nothing But Nets" campaign is also raising funds for bed nets.

The Global Business Coalition Executive Director John Tedstrom said, "Eradicating malaria is within our reach and we are therefore obligated to act. The GBC is proud to be a founding partner of Malaria No More. We look forward to working closely with our member companies to conquer this killer."

"The greatest tragedy of malaria is the impact on young children." said Ray Chambers, chairman of the board of Malaria No More. "It kills a child every 30 seconds in Africa - and yet we have all the tools and technology to save these lives." Chambers continued, "We can end these tragic deaths and are grateful for every individual, corporate, NGO and government contribution."

A webcast of the White House summit, Malaria No More, is available online at www.malariaNOMORE.org, as well as a detailed fact sheet and other materials.