Sumitomo Chemical to Donate 330,000 Olyset^® Nets to Millennium Villages

Apr. 7, 2014

Sumitomo Chemical will donate 330,000 of its anti-malarial Olyset^® Net (^*1) mosquito nets (a donation worth over 1.2 million US dollars) to the Millennium Villages as part of its cooperation in the Millennium Villages Project in Africa which is promoted by the Columbia University Earth Institute, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the U.S. NPO Millennium Promise.

To the Millennium Villages, Sumitomo Chemical donated 330,000 Olyset Nets in 2006 and 400,000 nets in 2010. The new donation will be used to replace nets currently in use as well as for distribution to those households that have not received nets yet.

At present, over 200 million people become infected with malaria every year, and some 630,000 people die annually from the disease. Many of the victims are children in Africa. Malaria prevents adults from working, and it is estimated that malaria costs Africa 12 billion US dollars annually in lost gross domestic product (GDP). This makes the prevention of malaria an essential precondition for eradicating poverty.

The Millennium Village Project is an initiative for providing the fundamentals necessary for impoverished regions to achieve self-sufficient development. The Millennium Villages are designated villages in ten African countries, which receive comprehensive support for food production, infectious disease prevention, and other issues. This initiative has been contributing significantly to decreases in malaria infection, and is regarded as a practical approach to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (^*2). Japan's and other countries' national governments, international organizations, foundations, and the private sectors are collaborating as project partners.

Sumitomo Chemical will continue to actively work on supporting Africa through its Olyset^® Net business.

1. Olyset^® Net is anti-malarial mosquito net made from polyethylene fibers in which an insecticide is incorporated. It is highly durable and retains insecticidal efficacy for over five years even with repeated washings because the insecticide migrates to the surface of the fibers gradually. It is an economical and effective means of protecting people from the mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Olyset^® Net is the first net endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001 as a long-lasting insecticidal net.
2. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Adopted as an action plan by the United Nations in September 2000 based on the UN Millennium Declaration, the Millennium Development Goals include goals to be achieved in eight categories such as poverty, education, the environment, and human rights.

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