Caroline Dennis stepped into a mosquito net factory in Tanzania. Although the University pharmacy student had studied abroad in Tanzania before, this time she learned two important facts: Mosquito nets cost $10, and $10 is a lot of money in Africa.

Malaria is the number one killer of refugees in Africa and is especially prevalent in children under the age of five.

“Most victims get malaria over night when sleeping in houses that are not protected by mosquito netting,” Dennis said.

Back in Athens, Dennis and fellow pharmacy student Evie Cowan decided to make this information relevant to the University community.

As members of the Academy of Student Pharmacists’ executive board, Dennis and Cowan act as representatives of the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation.

“We wanted to start something that would get Athens internationally involved,” Dennis said.

While $10 in America can buy a CD on iTunes or a meal at The Grit, $10 in North Africa can literally save lives. Unfortunately, most families cannot afford such an expensive luxury as a mosquito net.

“Many families in Africa sleep in the same bed, so one net protects multiple people,” Cowan said. “Caroline has worked in Africa preparing medications to treat malaria victims, and she has seen how mosquito netting can prevent disease instead of merely treating symptoms.”

The two students settled on a concert to benefit Nothing But Nets, a charity inspired by “Sports Illustrated” writer Rick Reilly.

Reilly published a column imploring readers to donate to buy North Africans mosquito nets. An overwhelmingly positive response led the United Nations, the NBA and the United Methodist Church to join forces and create this grassroots organization.

Dennis and Cowan found four bands that were eager to raise money for a cause. Headliner Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun is an Atlanta based techno-pop band driven by female vocals.

Royal Blue & the Stone Grifters was born right here in the Russell Hall dorm. This folk-rock band jumped on board, because drummer Kevin Hatcher is also a University pharmacy student from Newnan.

Charlie Berry, a soulful singer from Texas, will open the event with an acoustic set.

And lastly, Atlanta group Get Small has been an on-again, off-again rock band since 1994 and currently makes music out of a garage apartment in Grant Park.

The two pharmacists-in-training organized this event without funding or previous pharmacy fundraisers to learn from. As current IPSF chairperson, Cowan sought out creative ways to cover concert costs.

In the spirit of March Madness, she organized a single elimination basketball tournament between the University graduates schools entitled “Beat the Buzzer.”

“The law school students took it really seriously,” Cowan said. “But I guess they’re pretty serious about everything.”

While March brings basketball fever to Americans, it marks a count down to the rainy season for North Africans. They need 275,000 more nets before then and the clock is ticking.

If all goes well this Friday, Dennis and Cowan hope to make a dent in that statistic and make international involvement a part of Athens culture.