President Bush visited the A to Z Textile Mills in Tanzania this week, showing excitement at the power of long-lasting bednets to help dramatically reduce the incidence of malaria. "The bednet campaign is supported by Tanzanian manufacturers, including A to Z Textiles," said President Bush. "So as this campaign protects women and children from malaria, it also boosts local economies. It helps develop a culture of bednet use that will be sustained long after relief programs have ended."

Our hope is that President Bush and the international aid community alike step back to think about A to Z not just as an African story, but as a global story of partnership and collaboration that emphasizes the best of what international assistance can offer. This is a story that began in Japan where Sumitomo Chemicals decided to explore producing the long-lasting nets in Africa, where 92 percent of malaria occurs. ExxonMobil made the raw materials available at a discount and promoted distribution of nets to its workforce. UNICEF played a major role in agreeing to purchase the bednets to distribute free to pregnant mothers and children in health clinics across Africa. The World Health Organization tested for environmental and health safety. And Acumen Fund helped identify the extraordinary entrepreneur, Anuj Shah of A to Z, and provided financing as well as management assistance in the early years of production (and our first loan to the company has been fully repaid).
 
President Bush has done a lot to increase aid to Africa, but how aid is implemented is critical. A to Z is one example of combining philanthropic and commercial resources to invest patient capital in an African entrepreneur to produce a critically needed product for Africans across the continent. A to Z now employs more than 5,000 people, mostly women with minimal education, and manufactures eight million bednets a year. It thus generates new wages for the Tanzanian economy, provides protection for approximately 16 million people each year, and, importantly serves as a model for what is possible in Africa. As America thinks about its role in the future of international assistance, we would urge the development of more investment-like models that build jobs and opportunities while providing needed health care, clean water, housing and alternative energy to the poor.

Of course, ultimately, the success of this effort is due to the professionalism, hard work and constant dedication of the team at A to Z in Tanzania. We have been incredibly proud to work with and learn from them.

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