In the early 80’s Rotary International built upon a 1979 club project in the Philippines, creating it’s PolioPlus Fund and ultimately helping to found the Global Polio Eradication Initiative which now has five partners: Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This terrible disease, which in large numbers targets children under 5 years old (but can infect any unvaccinated person), has been driven through our efforts to existing in its wild form in just two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan. India and Nigeria were only certified Polio-free in the past dozen or so years.
The efforts to eradicate this disease includes continued vaccination of millions of children, constant global disease surveillance, tracking and mapping of suspected cases, and immediate health response. We are closer than we’ve ever been to finishing this fight, but we’ve been at this point for several years – we MUST push further and successfully end Polio. We can only do that with YOUR help. Financial contributions flow to the PolioPlus Fund within The Rotary Foundation, which has received the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator for well over a dozen years. You can be confident that any contribution to this effort is used on this effort.
Rotarians have given over $2 billion dollars to this cause and right now, your contributions and our contributions are matched $2 to $1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – it’s never been a better time to help, and ever dollar does help! To participate in our club’s 2024 campaign to raise money for PolioPlus, you may CLICK HERE OR click the QR code below. Your support means more than you can know!
