On Thursday, March 20, 2008, Netting Nations director Ana Samarjian and a car full of friends and mosquito nets made a trip to Luckyhill Children’s Home Foundation and in Budumburam, Ghana, to talk to the community about malaria and to distribute nets to the children of Luckyhill School on behalf of Netting Nations.

Luckyhill Children’s Home Foundation was founded by Kingsley Eshun in 2001 to educate, house, and give guidance to orphans and abandoned children. Mr. Eshun, who devotes his life to the management of the school and orphanage, felt that the schoolchildren and local community could benefit from the distribution of treated mosquito nets because most families in the area have young children and do not tend to use mosquito nets at night. The long lasting insecticide-treated nets that Netting Nations distributes for free retail for between $6-10 at stores and pharmacies in the region, making them extremely expensive for most families.

With the help and translating abilities of Mr. Eshun, Ana gave a presentation about malaria to dozens of parents of the Luckyhill school community in which she stressed the importance of protecting young children and pregnant women against mosquito bites. After a brief question-and-answer session in which community members were able to ask some questions and air some concerns, each of the classrooms at the school was presented with bundles of the long-lasting insecticide treated nets for all of the school children.

Greetings to all from Ghana! Last Monday, February 18th, Netting Nations member Ana Samarjian took 200 long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets to the University of Ghana to launch NetCourier, Netting Nations’ unique program designed to allow university study-abroad students in malarial countries to distribute mosquito nets during their studies and travels in their host country. The advantage of such a program is twofold - treated nets get to people who need them, and foreign students become both better educated about and more invested in the problem of malaria. Students are also encouraged to take pictures, videos, and write stories about their experiences, which will be showcased on www.nettingnations.org.

Ana recruited several students in an American study-abroad program to pass out nets and tell people about how to use them while they study at the University of Ghana for the Spring 2008 semester. Some of the students were so excited that they started finding people who needed nets immediately!

Ana also took the opportunity to pass out a few nets to students at the university and explain their proper usage.

Netting Nations plans to expand NetCourier to more universities across several countries.

Netting Nations will be spending the entire day at El Monte High School regarding malaria, and our mission. Stay tuned for that presentation at a school near you!

Netting Nations is a California based non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of malaria through the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, or ITNs. We are not financed or supported by any political or religious groups, but instead we are supported by real people like you from all over the world.

Entrance to the University of GhanaEntrance to the University of GhanaEntrance to the University of Ghana The Noguchi Institute is a biomedical research facility that conducts research into communicable diseases, such as malaria, and nutrition. Dr. Nyarko lent his words in Ana’s proposal to become Fulbright Scholar in Ghana to conduct research on malaria education and prevention programs to maximize the effectiveness of Netting Nations and contribute similarly to all non-governmental public health organizations. The Fulbright Program is the United States Government’s prestigious educational grant program designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Ana’s interest in the Fulbright program stemmed from her experiences as a student at the University of Ghana in 2006 and her travels across Ghana. The starkness of the problem of malaria cemented Ana’s desire to return with a solution. Netting Nations is committed to this goal.

On April 28, 2007, Betsy Kingston, Barry Johnson, Matt Murphy, Eric Adams, and John Schultz, of the Denver University School of Business, organized a volleyball tournament fundraiser to bring awareness to and raise funds for the battle against malaria. In total, over 90 people, comprising 12 teams who were dressed up in theme-inspired costumes, participated in the day-long event in 85 degree temperatures after it having snowed only four days earlier (typical Midwest weather!!). Despite the fun-filled festivities, which included bar-b-queing, beverages and laughs, the seriousness of the plight caused by malaria did not wring hollow. If nothing else, all who attended left the event with the awareness that malaria is not a disease that has been defeated worldwide…at least not yet! Netting Nations thanks all the business students at Denver University, particularly those of Dr. Joan Winn’s Management class, who made this a great event that raised over $400 for the purchase and distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets.

Netting Nations was thrilled to receive a very generous donation from the Palanker Foundation. Louise Palanker is an amazing woman in every way. She co-founded Premiere Radio Networks, and the Kids Comedy Club. She also enjoys performing stand up comedy and doing a weekly podcast called Weezy and the Swish. Louise’s generosity and kindness is much appreciated by Netting Nations. Netting Nations can assure the Palanker Foundation that this wonderful donation WILL CHANGE the lives of many people whom she will never know. For more information about the very funny, talented, and philanthropically inclined Louise Palanker, click here: http://www.louisepalanker.com/ or here: http://www.weezyandtheswish.com/blog/_WebPages/LouisePalanker.html

Netting Nations is pleased to announce that our organization received a 501(c)(3) designation letter from the IRS stating that we are officially tax-exempt. 501(c) is a subsection of the Internal Revenue Code ( § 501(c)), which lists 28 types of non-profit organizations exempt from certain federal taxes. Section 501(c)(3) is just one of the tax law provisions granting exemption from the federal income tax to non-profit organizations. As a 501(c)(3), we can now solicit tax-deductible donations from individuals and businesses, we do not pay income taxes, we can write for more grants, and we have more partnership possibilities. It also means that we are held to a tremendously high standard regarding accounting and organizational transparency, and that we will be monitored by watchdog groups like Charity Navigator and Charity Watch.