Youth help lead the way in Nothing But Nets campaign
Kadizatu Karagbo (left) and Frances Paris, originally from Sierra Leone and now
living in Silver Spring, Md., enjoy the festivities at the June 16
Nothing But Nets event in Washington. UMNS photos by John Coleman. |
By John Coleman*
June 18, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)
For Kadizatu Karagbo and Frances Paris, the scourge of
mosquito-borne malaria, which claims nearly 3,000 lives a day across
Africa, is a concern close to home and close to their hearts.
Bishops John R. Schol (left) and Thomas Bickerton stand with Elisabeth
Clymer and Zach Ayers, two teens honored for their dedication to the
anti-malaria initiative.
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The youth are members of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in
Silver Spring, Md. But their original home is Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The United Methodist Church is committed to buying bed nets, costing
only $10 each, through its Nothing But Nets campaign to alleviate the high death rate and suffering inflicted by malaria in Sierra Leone and other African countries.
Karagbo and Paris are doing their part by raising funds for the
campaign, through which the denomination hopes to blanket nations in
need with insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
They and other youth at Good Shepherd raised $1,350 on May 25 from
$10 tickets and donations to a church spaghetti dinner, with
entertainment that featured karaoke singing.
“We’ve taken extra bed nets to Sierra Leone whenever we go back to
visit with our families,” Karagbo said. “But we’re really happy to be
helping this campaign through our church. It will save a lot of lives.”
The two teens were part of a June 16 celebration by churches in the
denomination’s Baltimore-Washington Conference that are leading the way
in raising funds for the campaign.
United Methodists raise $26 million
Nothing But Nets is a collaboration of The United Methodist Church,
the United Nations Foundation, the National Basketball Association’s
foundation, Sports Illustrated magazine and other partners. So far,
United Methodists have raised $26 million, according to the U.N.
Foundation.
More than 130 youth and adults from 15 area churches joined campaign
leaders at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Washington,
D.C., known as the national church of United Methodism, for the event.
They celebrated the conference’s success in raising $100,000 to buy
10,000 nets, many of which will be delivered by a team of conference
leaders during their visit to Zimbabwe in late July. The
Baltimore-Washington and Zimbabwe Area conferences have been official
partners in mission for more than a decade.
Speakers at the Nothing But Nets Faith Dinner included U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who is a former prime
minister of Portugal, and United Methodist Bishops John R. Schol of the
Washington Area and Thomas Bickerton of the Pittsburgh Area.
“The support of faith-based organizations is vitally important to
our refugee work,” said Guterres, thanking United Methodists for their
anti-malaria efforts. Saturday, June 20, has been declared World
Refugee Day by the United Nations.
Schol asked Guterres to let the refugees he encounters know that The
United Methodist Church is working hard to help them in many ways and
especially in preventing the spread of malaria.
“Our church has been in Africa for over 160 years, building
churches, clinics and schools,” he said, “and now we are saving lives
by distributing nets.”
Staggering death toll
Bickerton, chairperson of the denomination’s Nothing But Nets
campaign, also thanked the Baltimore-Washington Conference for “all the
ways you are raising money and awareness for our fight against this
killer disease.
Youth from Mt. Zion United Methodist Church attend a Nothing But
Nets event in Washington.
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“The number of deaths is staggering -- 2,282 children died today and
10 died in the last five minutes,” he lamented. “We shared a wonderful
dinner here, but they are dying while we eat.”
Bickerton recalled learning the meaning of true thankfulness in 1986
during a visit to Liberia when he met a man who “had nothing materially
but everything spiritually” and who expressed gratitude for the
missionary who had taught him about Jesus Christ decades earlier.
“Thank you to God for allowing us to create a movement like this
across the church,” the bishop said. “This campaign is about the power
of us working across communities, churches and businesses. It’s the
possibility of a ‘we’ that we haven’t been able to imagine before now.
“We as United Methodists can blanket the entire country of Sierra
Leone in the next year with more than $1 million in nets,” he
announced. “And we can do a lot more: increasing the number of clinics,
training more birth attendants to deliver healthy babies, treating the
water systems to provide clean water and improving sanitary
conditions.”
Schol and Bickerton were introduced by two local United Methodist
youth who also have raised thousands of dollars for Nothing But Nets.
Elisabeth Clymer, 14, of Springfield, Va., and Zack Ayer, 17, of
Centerville, Va., described their school and church fundraising feats
at the dinner.
Just hours earlier they had appeared with the bishops and received
certificates of appreciation at a downtown rally to kick off
Washington’s own fundraising campaign to raise $100,000 for Nothing But
Nets.
“The fact that malaria can be prevented by a net costing just $10
blows my mind,” Ayers told the dinner gathering. “My message to other
youth is to not be afraid to make a stand and make a difference. You
can do it.”
In introducing Ayers and Clymer, Elizabeth Gore, campaign director
for the U.N. Foundation, lauded them and other youth for their
leadership in raising funds and building support for Nothing But Nets.
“They have been awesome goodwill ambassadors for this campaign,” she
said. “Our youth may be the reason why the White House has started
paying attention to our efforts. They are key to our success.”
Donations to the Nothing But Nets Campaign can be made online. Gifts received through June 30 will go directly toward the purchase of mosquito nets for Sierra Leone.
* John Coleman is a freelance journalist in the Washington, D.C., area.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related video
Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton:
“A grassroots effort is keeping ‘Nothing But Nets’ on the front page.”
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres:
“In refugee camps… mortality rates are dropping dramatically because of the nets.”
Elizabeth Clymer, Age 14:
“It’s a matter of life and death.”
Zack Ayers, Age 17:
“Youth can step up and make a difference.”
Related articles
DC Launches nets campaign
UMCOR Issues $200,000 Challenge Grant for Sierra Leone Mosquito Nets
Liberian tackles malaria prevention with passion
German gift will buy nets for Africa
Malaria initiatives join for 1st time in Côte d’Ivoire outreach
One Million Nets: A Promise Realized
Profile: Elisabeth Clymer
Resources
Nothing But Nets Campaign
Nothing But Nets Products
Malaria Initiatives of The United Methodist Church
Global Health Initiative
United Methodist Committee on Relief
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