EVANSTON, Ill., USA (20 January 2015) — The continued fight to eradicate polio gets an additional $34.8 million boost from Rotary in support of immunization activities and research to be carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The funds will be used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF for polio immunization, surveillance and research activities in ten countries, as well as to provide technical assistance to additional countries in Africa.

In 2014, the world saw significant progress against polio in most places. Nigeria – the last polio-endemic country in Africa – saw a nearly 90% reduction in cases in 2014 over 2013, with the last case recorded six months ago. In addition, more than half of the world’s polio cases in 2013 were the result of outbreaks in previously polio-free countries, largely caused by instability and conflict in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Somalia. These outbreaks appear to have been stopped in 2014 following special vaccination efforts in 11 countries, reaching more than 56 million children.

The exception to this progress was Pakistan, which saw an explosive outbreak which resulted in more than 300 cases in 2014, the highest number in the country in more than a decade. As a result, Pakistan accounted for almost 90% of the world’s cases in 2014. In 2015, Pakistan has the opportunity to reverse that trend and in doing so, help the world end polio forever.

The progress made against the disease in 2014, while significant, is fragile. Rotary’s funds will support efforts to end polio in the three countries where the disease has never been stopped: $8.1 million in Nigeria; $1.1 million in Pakistan and $6.7 million in Afghanistan.

Additional funds will support efforts to keep other at-risk countries polio-free. The grants include $1.6 million, Cameroon: $2.5 million, Chad; $3.3 million, Democratic Republic of Congo; $1.1 million, Ethiopia; $250,000, Kenya; $2.8 million, Niger; and $7 million, Somalia. In addition, grants totaling $321,000 will provide technical assistance in Africa.

“We are encouraged to see the tangible progress made against this disease in 2014,” said Mike McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. “However, until we eliminate polio from its final reservoirs, children everywhere are at risk from this disease. Rotary – along with our partners – will work hard to ensure the world’s most vulnerable children are kept safe from polio.”

Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in theGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative with the WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to 350 confirmed to date in 2014.

Rotary’s roles within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social mobilization. To date, Rotary has contributed more than $1.3 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year.

From Rotary International:

Rotary members in India selected a popular racecourse in Mumbai to promote Rotary to the tens of thousands of racing aficionados who gather there daily, raising more than $350,000 for club service projects in the process.

And between races, spectators at the Mahalaxmi Race Course were also treated to the Rotary members' attempt at a Guinness World Record as 650 members, 75 of them dressed in white and 575 in black, formed the shape of a horse -- with the Rotary wheel as its eye -- on the lawn of the members' area.

District leaders in western India chose the Mahalaxmi Race Course for their Race for Humanity event because it draws people from all segments of Indian society. They reached out to Gulam A. Vahanvaty, a member of the Rotary Club of Bombay who also is a member of a track committee, to facilitate a deal that enabled Rotary clubs to name seven of the eight races run on 23 November after their respective service projects.

Leading up to race day, each club had raised at least $50,000 for the projects, which support literacy, children's health, and education, among other causes. Betting on the races was left up to the Rotary members but was not promoted as part of the event.

More than 6,000 Rotary members attended the Race for Humanity event, and club leaders distributed 1,500 membership kits to race goers. In addition, Rotary colors and flags lined the paths to the complex, banners hung in every available location, and a five-minute Rotary public service video was shown throughout the event as well as on video feeds to other racing sites throughout the country.

"This was a spectacular event for Rotary in terms of fellowship, bringing together Rotarians and their families in one grand open-air venue," says Vahanvaty. "Rotary's work was showcased across the racecourse through banners and audiovisuals. We also obtained immense public relations through newspapers, radio, and TV covering the event."

Adds Ajay Gupta, governor of District 3140, "It was a delight to be with so many Rotary members and sing our national anthem and unfurl both our nation's flag and the Rotary flag." District 3140 spearheaded the event along with the Rotary Club of Bombay.

The day at the racecourse also included a fashion show, an art camp, a play area for kids, a DJ, and an organized cleanup activity inspired by a nationwide campaign to clean up India's infrastructure.

"Truly, this has to be one of the most significant events that I have had the opportunity to witness in my 42 years in Rotary," says past Rotary Foundation Trustee Ashok Mahajan. "The event not only helped raise funds for Rotary, strengthen district fellowship, and reinforce Rotary goodwill but it also highlighted Rotary's reach and network in society."

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