I remember about sixty years ago, I went Trick or Treating for UNICEF in Waukesha, Wisconsin with my friend Lynn’s church.  What is UNICEF?  It is the United Nations Children’s Fund.  It was founded on December 11, 1946 to meet the emergency needs of children in post-war Europe and China.  Rotary International, Microsoft, George Harrison Foundation, and Johnson & Johnson Foundation are a few of the partners among many.

Currently, “UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to ensure that every child is healthy, educated protected, and respected.’’ “UNICEF is working with governments and other partners to implement lifesaving and life changing programs for children in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America.”  You may have seen the polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip on the news.  UNICEF says, “Around 90 percent of children under 10 in the Gaza strip have received a dose of the polio vaccine following the first round of an emergency vaccination campaign conducted by UNICEF and partners in early September 2024.”

Rotary sets aside one day in October annually to increase awareness and raise funds for the eradication of polio.  At President-Elect training in March, I had the privilege of hearing Michael McGovern, Rotary International’s Polio Plus Committee Chair.  Michael has traveled all over the world visiting the workers who administer the vaccine. He has accompanied the workers into the homes of people, where they give the vaccine and record the date, names, and locations of all whom receive it.  Polio is 99.9 percent eradicated.  However, the laboratories supported by the campaign will still be there helping to diagnose and prevent other diseases. 

Rotary International, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments of the world are partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

What can Rotarians do to help?

Learn

“Get informed and help make polio a subject of conversation in your community.”  

Share

“Most people have heard of polio but few know that the disease still affects children around the world.  You can help by spreading the word.”  Share on social media and write a letter to a newspaper editor telling them why End Polio Now is so important.  

Donate

“Every donation helps us to obtain the vaccines, transport and material needed in the fight against polio.”

Donate to end polio rotary.org/donate

End Polio Now   World Polio Day is October 24

From Rotary.org, “The eradication of polio is one of our longest standing and most significant efforts.  Along with our partners, we have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries.  We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide and we won’t stop until we end the disease for good.”

One Day. One Focus:  Ending Polio

“World Polio Day is a time for Rotary members, public health advocates, and all who want a world free from polio to come together, recognize our progress in the fight to end polio, and talk about the actions we need to take in order to end polio for good.”

“All donations are matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, tripling your impact.”

Please join me and your fellow Rotarians in donating this month to the PolioPlus Fund.  Make sure that you have a My Rotary account; go to my.rotary.org, click on the DONATE tab, and choose Polio Plus Fund.  Thank you!