In a few weeks, NBA star Stephen Curry will travel to Tanzania to support the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign in its global fight against malaria.
Straight off a record-breaking season with the Golden State Warriors, Curry will visit a refugee camp and distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets that keep refugees safe from malaria. Curry will also meet with officials from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Republic of Tanzania Ministry of Home Affairs, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Tanzania Red Cross Society to learn about the humanitarian efforts there.
“Nothing But Nets is saving lives with the help of fans and supporters across the United States,” said Curry. “I have been involved with this important cause for several years and I hope that this trip can help raise awareness about this deadly disease and encourage others to get involved.”
NBA Cares, a founding partner of Nothing But Nets, and the Tanzania Basketball Federation will hold a basketball clinic and malaria education for local school children while Curry is in Tanzania.
Malaria is the single deadliest disease in this refugee camp, affecting mostly pregnant women and children under the age of five. According to the Tanzania Red Cross Society, over 62,000 cases of malaria were reported last year among a population of roughly 68,000.
“Malaria strikes an astounding number of refugees, but it doesn’t need to” said Chris Helfrich, Director of Nothing But Nets. “A simple bed net can help protect mothers and children from a deadly mosquito bite – and this is help that they desperately need. We’re so grateful to Stephen Curry and all our Nothing But Nets Champions for ensuring that we can cover this camp with life-saving bed nets.”
Nothing But Nets has partnered with UNHCR since 2008 to provide vulnerable refugee families fleeing conflict or natural disasters with insecticide-treated mosquito nets that can keep them safe from malaria. The partnership has enabled UNHCR to provide more than 1 million bed nets to refugees living in camps across Africa as part of Nothing But Nets’ mission to provide a bed net to everyone in Africa who needs one; as a result, malaria dropped from the leading killer of refugees to the number five cause of death.
Earlier this year, Curry announced his Three for Three Challenge to raise money for Nothing But Nets and fight malaria in Africa, donating three life-saving bed nets for every three-pointer he made during the NBA season. Curry then broke the NBA record for three pointers made in a single season (272). With the help of donations from fans across the United States, Curry will deliver nets this summer to families in need in the refugee camp, and raise awareness for ongoing fundraising efforts to prevent malaria.
Also joining Curry in Tanzania is ESPN’s Rick Reilly, whose column about malaria seven years ago ignited a firestorm of donations and helped fuel the creation of Nothing But Nets.
“As a journalist, I’m not supposed to have favorite players,” Reilly said. “But with Stephen Curry, it’s hard not to. How many young NBA superstars would come to Africa to see first-hand the ravages of malaria and how bed nets save children’s lives? Very cool.”
Malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year, most of them children under five. But bed nets provide a simple, cost-effective solution, and can reduce the spread of malaria by 90 percent in areas with high coverage rates. Since 2006, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $45 million from hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters, and sent more than 7 million bed nets to families across Africa. Anyone — from students to CEOs — can help protect families in Africa from malaria. To learn more about how to send a net and save a life, visit www.NothingButNets.net.
