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SMARTNET: A New Twist on Marketing Nets DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — PSI/Tanzania is breaking new ground in the social marketing of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in the PSI world - a unique partnership with the private sector to increase access to ITNs and bundle all ITN brands in Tanzania with the NGAO net retreatment kit (a retreatment kit applies insecticide to a net to double its effectiveness in the prevention of malaria). On July 1, PSI/Tanzania began the third phase of SMITN (Social Marketing of ITNs) under the new name SMARTNET — Strategic Social Marketing for Expanding the Commercial Market for ITNs in Tanzania - with funding from U.K.'s Department for International Development and the Royal Netherlands Embassy. The name SMARTNET was chosen to signify a break from the past. PSI will no longer sell its Njozi Njema brand (launched in 1998) but will be marketing the Tanzanian net manufacturers' brands, Afya net, Mmbu net and Safi net which are made by Textile Manufacturers of Tanzania Limited (TMTL), Sunflag and A-Z respectively. The main thrust of SMARTNET will be to vastly increase the rural penetration of the manufacturers' nets bundled with a net treatment kit. The SMARTNET team has already achieved one of the main aims of the three-year project — commitment from all of the Tanzanian net manufacturers to bundle their domestic production with PSI's retreatment kits. This is the first time this has been achieved anywhere in the world. The NGAO name is rapidly becoming synonymous with a social movement involving everyone in Tanzania — from the Ministry of Health to donors, non-governmental organizations, the research community, net and insecticide manufacturers and the commercial trade — in the fight against malaria. The launch of SMARTNET was held at one of the net factories, TMTL. In order to show the SMARTNET partners how polyester chips become mosquito nets, TMTL gave guided tours around the mill. The partners found this fascinating because they had never seen this process before. The tour ended with a demonstration of a net being sewn on a sewing machine (which took about 8 minutes). The guests then watched the final part of the process, when an NGAO kit is added to the net in a plastic bag and the bag is heat sealed — the Royal Netherlands Embassy health advisor did this to much applause. SMARTNET will ensure that Tanzania will reach the Abuja Declaration coverage targets of 60% of pregnant women and children under five years sleeping under nets by 2005, and will most likely be the only country in Africa to do so. — Dr. Jane E. Miller, Director of ITNs, PSI/Tanzania
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