The use of bed nets, especially those with insecticide, had been proven to be one of the most effective ways of reducing death and disease from malaria in children under five.

In 2003, the Canadian Red Cross began one of its most ambitious international development projects in recent history. Not only did it save thousands of lives, it helped prove the concept of universal, free distribution of bed nets, which has been taken up by other international organizations since then.

This significant project was started thanks to a grant from the Government of Canada and it utilized the Red Cross Movement’s expertise in logistics and ability to mobilize huge numbers of volunteers in the most remote areas of Africa.

“You could genuinely see how pleased the mothers and children were to receive the nets.”

In Africa’s most vulnerable countries, children under five were provided with these Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) as a means to shield them from deadly disease-spreading bites from infected mosquitoes. The Red Cross supported the distribution of more than 7 million nets in 12 African countries, saving the lives of thousands of children.  When purchased in bulk, the prices are very low, around $5.00 each. When adding in the costs of social mobilization and follow-up visits to make sure nets were properly used, the cost was closer to $10 per net, still a highly cost-effective way of combating one of the world’s biggest public health problems.

To help support the lifesaving efforts, a Canadian Red Cross “Malaria Bites” fundraising campaign encouraged Canadians to give $7 to cover the cost of one mosquito net and its distribution to a family in Africa.

In December 2007, Red Cross Ambassador and former television broadcaster, Nam Kiwanuka travelled to Mali to participate in the distribution of over 1.8 million nets to thousands of children. “You could genuinely see how pleased the mothers and children were to receive the nets,” said Kiwanuka, herself a malaria survivor. “I had no idea that something that costs as little as $7 could put such a big smile on someone's face.”