End Polio Now Flash Campaign Drive
WHEN - March 1, 2018 - April 30, 2018
WHY - Because "We Are This Close" to ending the dreaded disease of polio. With your support children around the world will be able to walk and play as healthy individuals.
WHERE - Rotary District 5170
Donation - Each Rotarian in our district is being asked to donate $50.00. All funds will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Matching Points - For those who have not yet contributed a total of $1,000 to become a Paul Harris Fellow, our district will match any contribution you make with recognition points to help you achieve that recognition level.
ROTARY’S ROLE
As the volunteer arm of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, polio eradication is Rotary’s top philanthropic goal. We were the catalyst to the effort.
Rotary’s chief role is fundraising, advocacy, raising awareness and mobilizing volunteers.
Rotary’s involvement started with a successful pilot project to immunize children in the Philippines in 1979.
Since 1985, polio eradication has been Rotary’s flagship project, with members donating time and money to help immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.
In addition to fundraising and advocacy efforts, many Rotary members join health workers in polio-affected countries to immunize children against polio.
Rotary members around the world advocate to ensure governments, the private sector and the general public are aware of the historic opportunity to eradicate polio and encourage them to provide the necessary financial and political support.
For the next three years, the Gates Foundation will match every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication 2-to1, up to US$50 million per year. Rotary has contributed more than US$1.6 billion dollars and committed countless volunteer hours to fight the disease.
STATUS OF POLIO ERADICATION
Since the global initiative began more than 25 years ago, Rotary and its partners have reduced polio cases by more than 99.9% percent worldwide.
When the initiative started in 1988, more than 350,000 people were stricken by polio every year - nearly 1,000 new polio cases every day.
Through December 2017, twenty two polio cases have been reported: Pakistan (8), Afghanistan (14).
In 2014, we celebrated one of the world’s greatest achievements in global health: India being certified as polio-free. India was once considered the hardest place on earth to stop polio. India’s success proves polio can be stopped in even the most challenging conditions.
After passing two years without a case of polio, new cases were reported in Nigeria in August 2016. Progress against this outbreak seems promising, with no new cases reported.
In September 2015, type 2 wild poliovirus was declared eradicated by the World Health Organization. The last case of type 3 wild poliovirus was 10 November 2012. This strongly indicates that we have completely eliminated all but one strain of wild poliovirus (type 1).
WHY POLIO?
Polio will be only the second human disease ever eradicated (after smallpox).
No child anywhere in the world will have to suffer from a disease which has no cure, but is completely preventable.
Ending polio is proof that all children can be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Polio efforts are reaching previously inaccessible children, which opens the door to them benefiting from other global health and development resources.
The infrastructure created by the polio program – from the vast surveillance and laboratory networks, to the hundreds of thousands of local health workers – are already being used to address other health challenges and diseases.
CALL TO ACTION
Support the fight to end polio by visiting endpolio.org to learn more and contribute.
Encourage your government to support Rotary and its partners’ polio eradication efforts.
See your donation tripled when you contribute to Rotary’s PolioPlus efforts, through the 2:1 match by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Share your voice by raising awareness that we are “This Close” to ending polio.