Last night, Ashton Kutcher beat out CNN to become the first Twitter user to reach one million followers. At stake was a pledge from the winner to donate 10,000 anti-malaria bednets through Malaria No More.
United Nations Foundation founder Ted Turner is quite pleased with the outcome. Here is Ted Turner’s statement:
I salute both Ashton Kutcher and CNN for causing a buzz about malaria, a leading killer of children and refugees in Africa.
Now, I challenge them to get those Twitter followers to double their pledge by joining Nothing But Nets. How does 100,000 people sound?
One of the reasons I started CNN was to open people’s eyes to the news of the world. Bringing people together and helping them understand each other was a big first step, but now we can also get them to do something.
It’s great that one million people used Twitter to get behind Ashton Kutcher, but imagine if those same people did something to directly improve the world today. I can tell you an easy action that you can do right now, and it only costs $10.
The United Nations Foundation created the Nothing But Nets campaign to offer individuals – from 5-year olds, to CEOS, to professional athletes – the opportunity to send a net and save a life. In just two years, more than 100,000 people have helped us raise $26 million and distribute two million nets. Just think how many lives one million people could save.
World Malaria Day – April 25 – is right around the corner. The malaria community is working together to send as many nets as we can to protect families. There’s no better time to join us in sending nets and saving lives. Visit www.UNFoundation.org/NothingButNets to send a net and save a life.
*Note: UN Dispatch enjoys the sponsorship of the United Nations Foundation. Follow us on Twitter.