03 February 2009

Tennessee Rotarians travel to India to immunize children against polio


Tennessee Rotary members Beth Stubbs, Townses Osborn, Roy King and his wife Elisa and their two daughters Sarah and Nicole recently left to immunize children against polio in India. While they are there, Sarah and Nicole will be keeping a blog that they will update with their thoughts for the day and will be adding pictures from their immunization trip. Here is a short exert from their blog:

Leaving the airport, the King family is all but happy to have arrived safely in Delhi. After being delayed in Knoxville and worrying about whether we would make our flight to India, we were in Newark boarding the plane to India. The thirteen hour flight from Newark to India was long, but it was well worth it. When we arrived in India, we were welcomed by our tour guide. Tired and weary, we were joined by five other Rotarians – Mike and Betsy, Danny, Liz, Rachel and Mr. Patel. After a quick introduction, we were rushed to the bus and all of us, along with our bags (no one lost their luggage!), hopped on and prepared for a ride to the hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were welcomed with a bindi, a traditional Indian mark worn in the middle of the forehead. Finally, after rooms had been checked, all of the Rotarians made their way up to their rooms in hopes of freshening up for the coming day tomorrow.

To read more about the Tennessee team's trip and to view pictures, visit their blog at:

Worldwide media take notice of Rotary and Gates Foundation $355 commitment to polio eradication


Following the announcement of the a new $355 funding commitment by Rotary and the Gates Foundation, the worldwide media took notice and helped spread the word. More than 300 articles were written about the announcement and appeared in the USA Today, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal just to name a few. Coverage of the funding announcement came from all over the globe including: England, India, Korea, France, Scotland, Nigeria, Iran, Brazil, Pakistan, Canada and Australia. To read some of the news stories click on the links below.

The USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-01-22-polio_N.htm

The Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-polio_thursdayjan22,0,6972629.story

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/africa/22polio.html?ref=world

The Herald (Scotland): http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.2483514.0.Shot_in_the_arm_in_fight_against_polio.php

The Economic Times (India) : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Gates_foundation_pledges_630_mn_to_fight_polio_in_India/articleshow/4013553.cms

The Korea Times : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/01/178_38380.html

Leadership Nigeria : http://leadershipnigeria.com/news/117/ARTICLE/5837/2009-01-23.html

21 January 2009

Rotary, Gates Foundation announce $355 million for polio eradication


Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced they will contribute a combined $355 million in new funds for polio eradication.

The Gates Foundation is awarding Rotary a $255 million challenge grant, which Rotary will match with $100 million raised by its members and supporters over the next three years. As a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Rotary’s chief role is fundraising, advocacy and mobilizing volunteers. The announcement came during the Rotary International Assembly, the humanitarian service organization’s annual leadership conference.

“Rotarians, government leaders and health professionals have made a phenomenal commitment to get us to a point at which polio afflicts only a small number of the world’s children,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “However, complete elimination of the polio virus is difficult and will continue to be difficult for a number of years. Rotary in particular has inspired my own personal commitment to get deeply involved in achieving eradication.”

In accepting the Gates challenge, Rotary Foundation Chair Jonathan Majiyagbe said the funding partnership will inspire other polio eradication allies, both current and new, to ramp up their support.

“With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are on the brink of eradicating one of the most feared diseases in the world,” Majiyagbe said. “This shared commitment of Rotary and the Gates Foundation should encourage governments and nongovernmental organizations to ensure that resources are available to end polio once and for all.”

“This partnership of Rotary and the Gates Foundation offers a historic opportunity to rid the world of a disease that robs children of their futures,” said RI President Dong Kurn Lee. “It is a significant boost toward making real our dream of a polio-free world.”

Rotary will spend the grant money in direct support of immunization activities carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is spearheaded by Rotary and its partners, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF. Rotary will distribute the funds through grants to WHO and UNICEF.

Polio eradication has been Rotary’s top priority since 1985, and since then Rotary clubs have raised nearly $800 million for the effort. Although the initiative has slashed the number of polio cases by 99 percent, the wild poliovirus still persists in four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, and imported cases from those nations threaten to reinfect countries where the virus has been stopped. The initiative currently faces a critical funding shortfall that must be closed if eradication is to be achieved.

This is the second challenge grant Rotary has received from the Gates Foundation for polio eradicatioin. In November 2007, Rotary accepted a $100 million challenge grant, which Rotary is matching dollar-for-dollar. The two challenge grants represent a combined total of $555 million in polio eradication funds. Rotary’s three-year effort to raise the matching funds for both grants is called Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge. Rotary invites the general public to participate by visiting rotary.org/endpolio to learn about polio eradication and contribute to the challenge match.

15 January 2009

Eradicating Polio [what it takes]


Follow the polio vacine from factory to immunization booth. Find out what it takes to get a drop in every child's mouth.