The war against polio has been waged on many fronts for decades and never has victory been so close. It is a battle fought with two tiny drops of vaccine, sophisticated technology, and an army of dedicated volunteers.
Rotary has been working with national governments and other public and private entities to eradicate polio since 1985, when Rotary launched its landmark PolioPlus program. In 1988, Rotary became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since then, Rotary members worldwide have donated their time and resources to help immunize more than two billion children in 122 countries. By the time polio is finally eradicated,
Rotary will have contributed nearly $650 million to the cause.
Of even greater significance, Rotary members offer their compassion, time, and expertise. During National Immunization Days (NIDs), members volunteer to help at immunization posts, deliver vaccine, transport health workers, recruit fellow volunteers, and squeeze countless drops of the oral polio vaccine into the mouths of children.
The mass mobilization for NIDs, referred to as “social mobilization,” involves election-style campaigning and innovative strategies to get the message to people who are cut off from the mainstream by conflict, geography, or poverty. Rotary volunteers prepare and distribute different types of mass communication tools including posters, TV spots, radio promotions, billboards, folk songs, and promotional messages that are placed on floats, trucks, rickshaws, and in local newspaper announcements.
The lengths to which they will go to get vaccine to children are heroic, traveling hundreds of kilometers on camel, by boat, by helicopter, on horseback, or on foot for days to reach every child.
The goal is almost at hand, and today polio persists in only a handful of countries. The number of polio cases worldwide has been reduced by 99 percent, preventing five million cases of paralysis and averting 250,000 pediatric deaths.
The world stands firmly on the threshold of victory thanks to the achievements of the last 20 years. A polio-free world will be Rotary’s ultimate gift to children everywhere.
Here is the Oscar nominated documentary presenting the efforts of the field workers striving to complete the project successfully:
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