FaithfulAmerica.org launches GiveANet.org to fight Malaria

Washington, D.C., April 25, 2007 – Imagine 100 classrooms filled with children. Now imagine those faces - vanished. It happened yesterday in Africa. It will happen again today, and again tomorrow." That's how FaithfulAmerica.org Director Vince Isner described the scene in which more than a million children in sub-Saharan Africa will die this year from malaria, a preventable mosquito-borne illness.

"People of faith and conscience are being called to help insure that mosquitoes don’t have a prayer," said Isner, who directs the online advocacy community of the National Council of Churches USA.

Today, on what President Bush has declared Malaria Awareness Day, FaithfulAmerica.org, announced the launch of a campaign called "FaithfulAmerica GiveANet."  Working with MalariaNoMore.org, FaithfulAmerica.org will use its formidable online network and a new website (www.giveanet.org ) to raise an initial $100,000 to provide 10,000 long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, education, treatment, and spraying programs.

All of the GiveANet funds will go to Malaria No More, which works with UNICEF and the American Red Cross, to procure and distribute bed nets and to educate families on their proper use. All three organizations have expertise with malaria and in implementing malaria interventions.

"GiveANet is a perfect youth project or men's group initiative," Isner said. "We know of some Vacation Church Schools that will make GiveANet their weeklong mission focus. It's perfect because even the youngest child can understand how they can help children a half a world away."

In addition to FaithfulAmerica's online campaign, officials hope faith groups nationwide will engage in their own fundraising efforts. A downloadable online toolkit is provided at www.giveanet.org .

"It wasn’t that long ago that parts of our own nation – including Washington DC – were breeding grounds for malaria," Isner said. "But through education and focusing our resources – we eradicated the disease once and for all."

More information may be found at www.giveanet.org .  

A two-minute web video is available on the GiveANet website (http://www.giveanet.org/realstories.html ) and on YouTube.com  (http://youtube.com/watch?v=R8FnuhqkEc4 )