| Spread the Net | |
|---|---|
| Motto | “1 Net. 10 Bucks. Save Lives. Spreadthenet.org.” |
| Formation | 2007 |
| Type | Charity |
| Legal status | active |
| Purpose/focus | To provide 500,000 anti-malaria bed nets at no cost to families of Liberia and Rwanda |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Location |
Spread the Net 236 Avenue Road Third Floor Toronto, Ontario Canada M5R 2J4[1] |
| Region served | Canada, Liberia, Rwanda |
| Official languages | English, French |
| Co-Chairs | Rick Mercer, Belinda Stronach |
| Affiliations |
UNICEF Canada |
| Website | http://www.spreadthenet.org |
Working in collaboration with UNICEF Canada, Spread the Net is a charity organization intent on reducing malaria in the African nations of Liberia and Rwanda. Co-founded by Rick Mercer, a Canadian satirist, and Belinda Stronach, a former Canadian Member of Parliament and philanthropist, Spread the Net has pledged to send 500,000 insecticide-treated bed nets to Liberia and Rwanda.[5] The campaign has donated 502 thousand nets since its founding, reaching its original goal, but continues fund-raising, with there still being a need.
Contents |
In 2005, Rick Mercer and Belinda Stronach traveled to Africa along with Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the UN Millennium Project,[6][7] in preparation to co-host the Millennium Promise Convention in Montreal on November 9, 2006. At the convention, Mercer and Stronach, along with Jeffrey Sachs and Nigel Fisher, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, announced their intention to begin the Spread the Net campaign, and raise $5 million for insecticide treated bed nets to be given to children and pregnant women in Liberia and Rwanda.[8]One X One founder Joey Adler and Millennium Promise Conference founder Daniel Germain each gave $150,000 to the campaign at the conference.[9] The first order for 33,000 bed nets was made on March 28, 2007.[10]
In 2007, Spread the Net started fund raising in Canadian Schools. Every year, a competition is presented to schools across Canada, and the school that raises the most to donate would be visited by Rick Mercer.[11] Between 2007 and 2008 over 250 schools participated raising $300,000. Dalhousie University won the challenge by raising $19,000[12] For 2009, Schools across Canada raised $650,000, with John F. Ross C.V.I winning with $57,000.[13] In 2011, $102,641.93 was raised, with Espanola High School and UNBC raising $13,307 and $18,710 respectively.