Follow the Divas' trip to Rwanda with Nothing But Nets

Feb. 28, 2013, update

Today the Divas visited their first camp in Rwanda, the Gihembe Refugee Camp, where Alicia, Natalya and the Nothing But Nets staff hung out and distributed bed nets throughout the camps to families in need. The camp was full of children, who were thrilled to meet the Divas. (DAY 2 PHOTOS)

Follow Natalya (@NatByNature) and Alicia (@AliciaFoxy) on Twitter for more updates. Check out Alicia Fox's blog on?hollywoodlife.com and read Natalya?s latest blog below, exclusively on WWE.com:

Today was one of the most powerful days of my life. That's the only way I can describe it.

I had the privilege of visiting the Gihembe Refugee Camp where nearly 15,000 refugees call home. The people live in the smallest quarters I've ever seen, where up to five people sleep on a single twin mattress. Mostly we met women and children who had left everything behind to find safety in Rwanda. These people have nothing and are just looking to survive every day. They may not have a lot of resources, but there is no shortage of hope.

I've always been a giving person, but in the past, when I've looked at extremely poor countries, I've felt like it was impossible for me to help them. How could I make a difference? The people at Nothing But Nets and the UN Foundation have taught me how incredibly easy it is to save a life. As a Diva, I have the powerful tool of using the global platform of WWE to help save millions of lives.

Today I did something that has really changed my life. Today's experience at the refugee camp made me see the world differently.

Along with Alicia Fox, I handed out mosquito nets to various people at the camp who really needed them. One mosquito net is around $10 and many people can sleep under them. The nets protect people from getting bitten by mosquitos that could give them malaria (one of the leading causes of death in Rwanda). Once the mosquito lands on the net, it is actually killed on contact; this prevents it from infecting anyone with malaria. By offering these life-saving nets, we are giving them hope to live disease-free.

One thing that I know is true after leaving the refugees today: The human spirit is more resilient than you could ever imagine. I've never felt more inspired than I do after meeting children who were sick and had no parents or family, teenage girls who lost their parents in the war, the elderly who could barely stand. At the end of the day, we are all the same: HUMAN.

I've been given a totally new perspective of what being content is all about. These people were so grateful we came and so appreciative that we wanted to hear their story. It doesn't take a lot to find happiness, just finding the joy in others and realizing how much you have to be grateful for in the very smallest of things. Their story was truly a gift to us that money just can't buy.

Feb. 27, 2013, update:

The Divas were debriefed about their trip by the UN Refugee Agency, World Food Programme and UNDP (UN Development Program). They also took part in a field visit with UNDP, which is an agency that's mission is to improve quality of life. In Rwanda, UNDP is helping to empower women who have experienced great hardships. (DAY 1 PHOTOS)

Natalya and Alicia also visited the Hotel Des Milles Collines for dinner, which was made famous in the film "Hotel Rwanda." During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, more than 1,200 people took refuge inside the hotel.

Below is the latest blog from the Divas in Rwanda:

Every day we wake up feeling blessed to have the roles of being WWE Divas, but today was truly exceptional. Our day began with our partners with the United Nations Foundation's?Nothing But Nets campaign escorting us to?UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) headquarters in Rwanda. UNHCR officials briefed us about how refugees are affected by malaria. Neimah Warsame, UNHCR representative for Rwanda, was an amazing inspiration. She?s powerful and proactive in the community; seeing her and other Rwandan officials with various UN agencies showed us how passionate they are about helping refugees stay healthy and safe.

The hardships refugees face are unbelievable. There are about 65,000 refugees in Rwanda, most escaping fighting from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. We couldn?t believe the very steep, uphill battle they face, even just to get to the safety of the camps in Rwanda.

Malaria is one of the refugees' biggest challenges. Only 60 percent of refugees in the country's four camps have bed nets. That's where the work of Nothing But Nets comes in. All of UNHCR's goals for this year seem reachable, and we want to help them get there.

The most shocking thing we learned today is how many children die from malaria, a disease that's completely preventable. A child used to die every 30 seconds from malaria ? now that figure is every 60 seconds. The work of Nothing But Nets has helped. But no child should die from a preventable disease. We want to make a real difference. Stay tuned to WWE.com to follow our journey through Rwanda.

The WWE Universe can help! It just takes $10 to send a life-saving mosquito net and save someone's life.

Feb. 26, 2013, update:

After a more than 20-hour journey, the Divas have arrived safely in Kigali, Rwanda, to begin their goodwill campaign to help fight malaria!

Alicia Fox and Natalya will pass out mosquito nets to refugees in Rwanda as part of WWE's alliance with the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign to help raise awareness and funds to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. (MORE INFO)

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Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/nothing-but-nets-divas-rwanda

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