Remarks During a Visit to the Northwest Boys & Girls Club in Hartford, Connecticut

Entertainer Melinda Doolittle. We need you speaking up here right now. I would love—actually, Mr. President, I know that you went to Africa. I got a great chance to go to Africa with your wife and kind of see firsthand in Zambia what the disease does to people and how much they are appreciative of getting these bed nets. I know you got to travel, so I'd love it if you'd share some things—[inaudible]—of that.

The President. Sure. I think the thing that I would start with was how appreciative people in Africa were of the fact that total strangers cared about their lives. You see, if you are a mother who is holding a baby that is sick because of a mosquito bite, it creates a lot of hopelessness, and you really wonder whether anybody cares. And the fact that total strangers would come together—in Boys & Girls Clubs or basketball teams or singers—and care about them really lifts their spirits.

And so it's been a—been really interesting to travel to Africa and see how appreciative the people in Africa are of the United States and the citizens. Isn't it interesting that there's a call to love your neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself?And that's what you're doing. And I'm here really to thank all the people, not only here, but across the country, for being so supportive of a humanitarian effort that is worthy of a great nation.

So the trip was great. It was really a lot of fun. You know what it's like there.

Ms. Doolittle. I do, I do.

The President. It's a bit exciting, isn't it?

Ms. Doolittle. Yes, and I think the thing that struck me the most is that in the midst of all of that devastation that you may see in any country, they are the most joyful people you will ever meet in your entire life. And that also is infectious. So that is one thing that I wanted to catch going out of Africa, is that joy that they had in the midst of all that they were going through. So these are people that absolutely love life, they cherish it. And we get to help them cherish that life a little longer. So it's a wonderful, wonderful thing to do.

I would love to have you two come up and look at these bed nets and kind of——

The President. Yes, why don't we get a team picture?

Ms. Doolittle. ——kind of see——

The President. I don't think there's enough cameras here. [Laughter]