News Release

For immediate release

Contacts:

Stéphanie Tobler Mucznik (Switzerland), Stephanie.Tobler@rotary.org, 41-44-387-7116

Joe Otin (Kenya), joe.otin@outlook.com, +254 72-2701530

Kimberly Dunbar (US), Kimberly.dunbar@rotary.org, +1 847-866-3469

NAIROBI, Kenya (12 February, 2014) — With more than 50 percent of women in the developing world delivering babies without the assistance of skilled health personnel, Rotary, a global humanitarian service organization; and Aga Khan University (AKU), a private non-denominational university; are together increasing access to trained health professionals for mothers and infants in East Africa.

The first class of 24 Rotary-sponsored scholars will graduate this month from AKU's campuses in East Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing, or Diplomas in General Nursing.

"In rural Kenya, having a nurse or midwife present during childbirth can mean the difference between life and death," said Geeta Manek Rotary member from Nairobi. "This class of highly trained nurses will help ensure that mothers and their infants receive the best health care possible."

Having worked as a nurse at the Kenyatta National Hospital before joining the AKU, graduate Annet Kiring'wa of Kenya said she entered the nursing program to "enhance my academic and professional abilities and learn new technologies and innovations in health care to better serve my clients".

In sub-Saharan Africa, a woman's risk of maternal death is 1 in 30, compared to 1 in 5,600 in developed countries according the United Nations. The same region records the highest childhood mortality rates, with 1 in 7 dying before their fifth birthday. Worldwide, more than 9 million children under 5 die each year.

Nurses and midwives are critical to the delivery and quality of health care in Africa. From rural villages to urban slums, nurses and midwives are able to serve large numbers of women, often without the assistance of doctors. They are at the front line of the battle against HIV/AIDS, infant and maternal mortality, infectious diseases, and other treatable and preventable medical problems that, unaddressed, can destroy lives, disrupt families and hold back the economic growth of entire communities.

To help, The Rotary Foundation – the charitable arm of Rotary International – began a strategic partnership with AKU in 2011, providing grants to Rotary clubs to establish volunteer teams to support the professional development of nursing faculty at AKU's East Africa campuses in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The teams work with local Rotary clubs and AKU to carry out community service projects linking the classroom lessons to the real-life conditions in local clinics and health care programs. Rotary grants also fund nursing and midwifery scholarships for students admitted to AKU's School of Nursing and Midwifery program. Scholarship recipients also have the opportunity to be mentored through the program by local Rotary clubs.

About Aga Khan University

Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, nonprofit university that promotes human welfare and development through research, teaching, and community service initiatives. AKU operates 11 campuses and teaching sites in eight countries across East Africa, the Middle East, south and central Asia, and Europe. The university's curriculum in nursing, medicine, and educational development reflects the unique needs of the communities and countries where the university operates.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org. For images and video, visit www.thenewsmarket.com/rotaryinternational.

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News Release

Contato: Gabriela Simionato Klein, + 1 847-866-3239, Gabriela.Klein@rotary.org

Brasil foi um dos primeiros países a erradicar a doença com estratégias de vacinação e é referência na eliminação do vírus no resto do mundo.

EVANSTON, Ill., EUA (11 de Novembro, 2013) — O compromisso do Ministério da Saúde e do Rotary em contribuir com a meta de erradicação da poliomielite no mundo será reforçado na próxima terça-feira, 12 de novembro, com a assinatura de uma declaração durante o "Simpósio sobre as Estratégias para atingir a Erradicação da Poliomielite no Mundo", em São Paulo (SP). O documento destaca a importância do apoio técnico e do intercâmbio de conhecimentos com países que ainda registram casos da doença.

Essa declaração reitera o pacto assumido pelo Brasil e por outros membros da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) na Assembleia Mundial da Saúde, realizada em maio deste ano, quando adotaram o Plano Estratégico para Erradicação da Pólio, que tem como objetivo erradicar a doença no mundo até o final de 2018.

O simpósio é uma iniciativa do Rotary, com o apoio da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), UNICEF, Centro de Controle e Prevenção de Doenças dos EUA/CDC, Fundação Bill e Melinda Gates e do Ministério da Saúde. Entre os participantes estão 50 representantes das principais sociedades científicas do país.

"O Rotary está envolvido desde o inicio do processo oferecendo apoio aos países que ainda registram casos de poliomielite. A conquista da erradicação no Brasil é um exemplo para outros lugares do mundo. Por isso, a assinatura da declaração reforça o compromisso do nosso país em contribuir e trocar experiências para alcançar a erradicação da pólio até o fim de 2018," destaca Cláudio Maierovitch, diretor de Vigilância das Doenças Transmissíveis do Ministério da Saúde.

Carol Pandak, diretora do programa de erradicação do Rotary Internacional, ressalta a importância deste compromisso: "A transmissão contínua de uma doença terrível e deformadora ao segmento mais vulnerável da população: crianças menores de 5 anos, já faz deste trabalho um assunto de extrema importância. Mas se falharmos, como sociedade, perderemos também um investimento global que agora totaliza mais de US$10 bilhões — incluindo US$1,2 bilhão em doações de rotarianos. Isso poderia fazer com que 200.000 crianças fossem vitimadas anualmente dentro de uma década, e gerar a reintrodução da poliomielite em países já livres da doença".

ERRADICAÇÃO — O Brasil foi um dos primeiros países a erradicar a poliomielite com estratégias de vacinação. A primeira campanha nacional foi realizada em 1980. Até a década de 1970, registravam-se cerca de dois mil casos da doença por ano no Brasil. O último caso brasileiro aconteceu em 1989, na Paraíba. Desde 1994, o país mantém o certificado emitido pela OMS de erradicação da doença.

Anualmente, o Ministério da Saúde realiza a Campanha Nacional de Vacinação contra Poliomielite, em parceria com estados e municípios, por intermédio do Programa Nacional de Imunizações (PNI). Apesar de o Brasil não ter mais registro de casos, é importante manter campanhas anuais, pois o poliovírus, causador da enfermidade, pode ser reintroduzido no país já que ainda existe circulação no mundo.

PREVENÇÃO — O Brasil é um dos únicos países da América Latina – ao lado da Argentina e Uruguai – que já iniciou a substituição da vacina contra pólio, da forma oral para a injetável. A recomendação da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) é que a nova forma de imunização seja utilizada de forma exclusiva quando a doença for erradicada em todo o mundo.

A diferença entre as duas vacinas é que a oral é produzida com vírus vivos atenuados e a injetada com vírus inativados. Com a mudança, o pequeno risco de eventos raros, como casos de paralisia associada à vacina, deixa de existir. A vacina é extremamente segura e não há contraindicações, sendo raríssimas as reações associadas à administração.

A troca está sendo introduzida de forma gradual, desde agosto de 2012, no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Até que a doença seja erradicada em todo o território mundial, a utilização da vacina injetável (VIP) acontecerá em esquema combinado com a oral (VOP). Nas duas primeiras doses, aos dois e quatro meses de idade, a criança recebe a VIP. Na terceira dose, aos seis meses, e no reforço, aos quinze meses de idade, recebe a VOP.

"Vale ressaltar que não existe tratamento para a poliomielite. A prevenção é possível apenas pela vacina, que protege contra os três sorotipos do poliovírus. A eficácia da imunização é em torno de 90% a 95%. Ela é recomendada mesmo para as crianças que estejam com tosse, gripe, coriza, rinite ou diarreia", esclarece Maierovitch.

SOBRE A DOENÇA — A poliomielite é uma doença viral, causada por poliovírus e subdivide-se em três sorotipos (1, 2 e 3). É altamente contagiosa, e afeta principalmente crianças menores de cinco anos de idade. O vírus é transmitido através de alimentos e água contaminados e se multiplica no intestino, podendo invadir o sistema nervoso. Muitas pessoas infectadas não apresentam sintomas da doença (febre, fadiga, cefaleia, vômitos, rigidez no pescoço e dores nos membros), mas excretam o vírus em suas fezes, portanto, podem transmitir a infecção para outras pessoas.

Falta de higiene e de saneamento na moradia, além da concentração de muitas crianças em um mesmo local, favorecem a transmissão. O período de incubação (tempo que demora entre o contágio e o desenvolvimento da doença) é geralmente de sete a 12 dias, podendo variar de dois a 30 dias. A transmissão também pode ocorrer durante o período de incubação.

SOBRE O ROTARY — O Rotary é uma rede de voluntários que dedicam seus talentos e tempo para tratar grandes necessidades humanitárias. O 1,2 milhão de associados dos Rotary Clubs estão em mais de 200 países e regiões geográficas. Eles trabalham para melhorar as condições de vida local e internacionalmente, desde ajuda a famílias em suas próprias comunidades até a erradicação de uma doença como a pólio. Para saber mais visite Rotary.

SERVIÇO

Simpósio sobre as Estratégias para atingir a Erradicação da Poliomielite no Mundo

Data: 12 de Novembro – terça-feira

Local: Hospital Sírio Libanês – São Paulo (SP)

Horário: 9h às 13h30

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News Release

For immediate release

Contact: Petina Dixon-Jenkins, 847-866-3054, petina.dixon-jenkins@rotary.org

EVANSTON, Ill. (Jan. 15, 2014) — San Diego businessman and Rotary club member Terrence Caster and his wife Barbara have donated $1.85 million to Rotary in support of the humanitarian service group’s polio eradication and peace studies programs.

“Barbara and I are blessed to be fruitful in our family business A-1 Self Storage, and we’ve always felt it is important to give back and help others,” said Caster, the company’s founder and a member of the Rotary Club of La Mesa. “As a result, we are involved in numerous charities. But as a Rotarian, I can think of no cause more worthy than Rotary’s work to end polio and promote world peace.”

The donation, announced during an annual conference of Rotary leaders in San Diego, is among the largest single gifts ever made to the organization by an individual Rotary club member.

The largest share of the gift, $1.1 million, will go to Rotary’s PolioPlus program, which works to immunize children in the developing world against this disabling infectious disease. Rotary is a founding partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988 by Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A more recent partner in the initiative is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which will match two-to-one every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication through 2018, thus growing the Caster gift to $3.3 million in new money to fight the disease.

The remainder of the gift, $750,000, will go to the endowment fund of Rotary’s Peace Centers program, which offers master’s degree-level fellowships in peace studies and conflict resolution at six major universities in five countries. Specifically, the Caster donation will fully endow one Rotary Peace Fellowship every other year.

“We deeply appreciate the incredible generosity of Terry and Barbara Caster in support of polio eradication, Rotary’s top goal as an organization, and also our very popular and successful peace studies program,” said Stephen R. Brown, a San Diego area Rotary member and a trustee of The Rotary Foundation, which manages both programs. “The Caster family’s gift could not come at a better time in Rotary’s effort to protect children everywhere by reducing the threat of both disease and violence in our world.”

Since the launch of the polio eradication initiative, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year in 1988, to 369 confirmed so far for 2013. Rotary’s main responsibilities within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social mobilization. To date, Rotary has contributed more than $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org.

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News Release

For immediate release

Contact: Petina Dixon-Jenkins, +1 847-866-3054, petina.dixon-jenkins@rotary.org

Humanitarian organization says disabling virus now must be stopped in neighboring Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan and Nigeria

EVANSTON, Ill. (10 Jan. 2014) — Rotary members worldwide are celebrating a major milestone in the global effort to eradicate polio: India, until recently an epicenter of the wild poliovirus, will mark the third anniversary of its last recorded case of the paralyzing infectious disease on 13 Jan.

On the same day in 2011, a two-year old girl suffered polio paralysis in Howrah district of West Bengal. Since then, India has not reported any new cases of wild poliovirus. 

Leaders of the humanitarian service organization see the 13 Jan. milestone as a testament to the determination of its international membership of 1.2 million men and women – and especially the 122,000 Rotary members in India – to eradicate polio through the mass immunization of children, a goal Rotary took on in 1985.

In celebration of the decades-long battle and ultimate victory over this disabling disease in India, Rotary clubs throughout the country will illuminate landmarks and iconic structures on Jan. 13. India Gate in Delhi and Red Fort in Delhi and Agra are among the structures that will carry Rotary’s dramatic message – ‘India is Polio Free’.

The three-year achievement also sets the stage for the polio-free certification of the entire South East Asia Region of the World Health Organization in the first quarter of 2014 by the Regional Certification Committee. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to mark the occasion.

Rotary says the challenge now is to replicate India’s success in neighboring Pakistan (which is in a different WHO region), one of three remaining polio-endemic countries. Afghanistan and Nigeria are the others. Collectively, they create a reservoir from which the opportunistic disease can emerge to re-infect areas where it had been previously stopped. So-called “imported cases” are occurring now in Syria and several African countries. In 2013, imported cases in non-endemic countries outnumbered the total in the endemic countries 224 to 145, underscoring the importance of stopping the virus where it remains endemic.

“We must now stop polio in Pakistan to both protect Pakistani children and to safeguard our success in India and other countries where we have beaten this terrible disease,” says Deepak Kapur, who chairs Rotary’s India National PolioPlus Committee. “Until polio is finally eradicated globally, all unvaccinated children will remain at risk of infection and paralysis, no matter where they live.”

Rotary leaders in India are working with their Pakistani counterparts to share best practices and lessons learned during India’s successful anti-polio campaign. Rotary was particularly effective in obtaining the support of influential religious leaders in India’s Islamic communities, and Pakistani Rotary leaders are playing a similar role in efforts to counter rumors and misinformation about polio vaccinations that keep some Muslim parents from allowing their children to be immunized.

Meanwhile, National Immunization Days – during which Rotary volunteers join with health workers in an effort to reach every child under age five with the oral polio vaccine -- continue in both countries. In India alone, more than 172 million children receive the vaccine during these mass immunization campaigns.

Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the global initiative began in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to 369 confirmed so far for 2013.

Rotary’s main responsibilities within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social mobilization. To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio. Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org.

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News Release

For immediate release

Contact: Howard Chang, 847 866 3408, howard.chang@rotary.org

EVANSTON, Ill., USA (Dec. 23, 2013) — K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran, a business leader from Colombo, Sri Lanka, will be the 105^th president of Rotary International – a global network of 1.2 million volunteers dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.

Ravindran, a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo, will begin his one-year term on 1 July 2015 as the first Sri Lankan to hold Rotary’s highest office. Ravindran says a top priority will be to strengthen clubs by attracting men and women committed to improving communities worldwide through volunteer service.

From supporting local food pantries to providing clean water in remote villages, Rotary clubs join forces to carry out impactful and sustainable projects at home and abroad.  And Rotary members often are both first-responders and re-builders when major disasters strike, because Rotary clubs are present in every corner of the world. 

After the devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Ravindran led Rotary’s recovery efforts by helping to raise US$12 million to rebuild 22  schools, enabling nearly 15,000 children to resume their studies.  “The tsunami could take away schools, homes, possessions, and even loved-ones, but it would never be allowed to take away the spirit of children,” said Ravindran. 

Ravindran was also involved in many other tsunami-related projects in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, and Thailand that were supported by Rotary’s Solidarity in South Asia Fund for long term recovery. Rotary clubs around the world contributed nearly US$6 million to the fund. The projects include housing developments, orphanages, water and sanitation systems, solar oven technology, community-based credit unions, health centers, and the replacement of destroyed fishing trawlers.

As president, Ravindran will oversee Rotary’s top humanitarian goal of eradicating the paralyzing infectious disease polio. In 1988, Rotary helped launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication effort.

Overall, the annual number of new polio cases has plummeted by more than 99 percent since the 1980s, when polio infected about 350,000 children a year. Only 223 new cases were recorded for all of 2012. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths. Polio today remains endemic in only three countries, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, although "imported" cases in previously polio-free areas – such as the Horn of Africa -- will continue to occur until the virus is finally stopped in the endemic countries.

As Sri Lanka’s chair of Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, Ravindran led efforts to eradicate polio from Sri Lanka. His country became one of the first in Asia to become polio-free in Asia. The PolioPlus task force which he headed consisted of representatives from Rotary, UNICEF and the Sri Lankan government.  The partnership successfully negotiated a ceasefire with the northern militants to allow polio immunizations to continue during scheduled National Immunization Days.

Ravindran is founder and CEO of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed company and global leader in the tea packaging industry. He also serves on the board of several other companies and charitable trusts. He is the founding president of the Sri Lanka Anti-Narcotics Association, the largest antinarcotics organization in Sri Lanka.

A Rotarian since 1974, Ravindran has served Rotary as a director and treasurer of Rotary International and as a trustee of The Rotary Foundation. He has been awarded The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org.

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News Release

For immediate release

Contact Kimberly Dunbar, 847 866 3469, kimberly.dunbar@rotary.org

EVANSTON, Ill., USA (Dec. 10, 2013) — Rotary International will provide a US$500,000 emergency response grant to support efforts to quell a recent outbreak of the crippling disease polio in strife-torn Syria. The funds are the first to the World Health Organization in direct support of a Global Polio Eradication Initiative plan aimed at outbreak response throughout the Middle East, as the region gears up for a multi-country response to the threat of polio.

As of Dec. 9, there have been 17 cases of wild poliovirus confirmed in Syria since October, the first reported cases in the country since 1999. The Rotary grant to the World Health Organization will support immediate response activities in late 2013 and January 2014, such as the establishment of emergency response control rooms and initial vaccination rounds to immunize children in Syria and surrounding countries against polio.

“It is imperative that we stop this outbreak quickly to protect children in Syria and throughout the region, and that is the purpose of this grant,” said Dr. Robert S. Scott, chair of Rotary’s PolioPlus program. “Rotary and our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are working together with local health authorities to activate the outbreak response.”

He noted that the cases in Syria appear to be “imported” from Pakistan, one of three countries where the wild poliovirus remains endemic. “These and other recent polio cases in previously polio-free countries serve as stark reminders that as long as polio still exists anywhere in the world, all unimmunized children everywhere remain at risk,” Scott said.

Today, seven countries across the region rolled out vaccination campaigns aiming to reach 22 million children. These campaigns are planned to be repeated over the next 6 months to protect children in the region from the polio outbreak.

Rotary and polio eradication

In 1988, Rotary helped launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication effort.

Overall, the annual number of new polio cases has plummeted by more than 99 percent since the 1980s, when polio infected about 350,000 children a year. Only 223 new cases were recorded for all of 2012. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing 13 million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths. Polio today remains endemic in only three countries, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, although “imported” cases in previously polio-free areas – such as the Horn of Africa -- will continue to occur until the virus is finally stopped in the endemic countries.

About Rotary

Rotary is a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary's 1.2 million members hail from more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit rotary.org and endpolionow.org.

News Release

For immediate release

Contact Kimberly Dunbar, 847 866 3469, kimberly.dunbar@rotary.org

EVANSTON, Ill. (18 October, 2013) — Emmy-winning actress Archie Panjabi, best known for her role as Kalinda on the hit series "The Good Wife," will talk about her volunteer work in support of polio eradication during a special program co-hosted by Rotary and Northwestern University's Center for Global Health on Oct. 24 – World Polio Day 2013 – in downtown Chicago.

The program, World Polio Day: Making History, will include remarks by Dr. Bruce Aylward, the world's leading expert on polio eradication and assistant director-general for polio, emergencies and country collaboration at the World Health Organization; Dr. Robert Murphy, director of Northwestern University's Center for Global Health; and U.S. Paralympian Dennis Ogbe, a polio survivor and ambassador for the United Nations Foundation's Shot@Life program.

The event will be streamed live to a global online audience at endpolionow.org from Northwestern University's John Hughes Auditorium, 303 E. Superior St., Chicago, beginning at 5:30 p.m. CST on Oct. 24. About 200 invited guests are expected to attend.

The program will include an overview of the progress of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which Rotary co-launched in 1988; the challenges that remain in the corners of the developing world where the crippling virus persists, and a discussion of the ways private citizens, corporations, and non-profits can participate in the historic final push now underway to end polio once and for all.

Due to the eradication initiative's success in reaching the world's children with the oral polio vaccine, the disease today remains endemic to only three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Ogbe, the Paralympian, is originally from Nigeria, where he contracted polio at age 3.

Panjabi is one of Rotary's End Polio Now celebrity ambassadors. Last year, the British born actress helped Rotary volunteers immunize children in India, her parents' homeland, where she spent part of her childhood. Once considered the nation facing the most serious challenges to eradication, India was removed from the polio-endemic list in January 2012.

"Seeing India become polio-free is tremendous, and I am committed to making sure that no other child anywhere suffers from polio again," Panjabi said in an interview published in the November issue of The Rotarian magazine.

"How fitting that we are holding this important program in Chicago, Rotary's hometown," said Dr. Robert S. Scott, MD, who chairs Rotary's polio-eradication program. "Rotary began the fight to end polio, and today – World Polio Day 2013 – we and our partners have never been closer to our goal of a polio-free world. Rotary invites everyone -- private citizens, businesses, non-profits – to join us in this historic effort. Only one disease – smallpox – has ever been beaten. Now is our best chance ever to make polio the second."

Dr. Murphy of the Center for Global Health concurs: "It is very important to finish the job soon, because we are so close. Eradication is completely doable, and when it happens, it will be a huge public health achievement."

Dr. Aylward notes that when Rotary began its polio eradication work, the disease infected more than 350,000 people a year, compared with the 223 cases for 2012 – a drop of more than 99 percent. "When Rotary set out to eradicate polio over 25 years ago, most of the world thought it was impossible," Aylward said. "Today, it is very close to inevitable. There is still huge work to do, but Rotary has shown the world how the impossible can be converted to the inevitable with the right strategy, the right tools, and the right commitment."

Ogbe, now the wellness coordinator at Brown-Forman in Kentucky, claims a personal stake in the effort.

"This fight to end polio is personal to me," he said. "Polio still exists in Nigeria and is still killing and disabling children. We cannot afford to lose the fight against polio."

Rotary and polio eradication

In 1988, Rotary helped launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since then, Rotary club members worldwide have contributed more than $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the polio eradication effort.

Overall, the annual number of new polio cases has plummeted by more than 99 percent since the 1980s, when polio infected about 350,000 children a year. Only 223 new cases were recorded for all of 2012. More than two billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing five million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths. Polio today remains endemic in only three countries, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, although "imported" cases in previously polio-free areas – such as the Horn of Africa -- will continue to occur until the virus is finally stopped in the endemic countries.

This year, World Polio Day fundraisers will have greater impact due to the new fundraising campaign, End Polio Now: Make History Today, recently launched by Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation will match two for one every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication up to US$35 million per year through 2018.

About Rotary

Rotary is a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary's 1.2 million members hail from more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit rotary.org and endpolionow.org.

News Release

For immediate release

Contact Stéphanie Tobler, +41 387 71 16, stephanie.tobler@rotary.org; Alida Pham, +31 15 21 51 722, a.pham@unesco-ihe.org

EVANSTON, Ill. (17 October, 2013) — Building on the success of the Rotary and UNESCO-IHE partnership to train future water leaders, the second class of students – 16 in total – began graduate studies this month at UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, the premier postgraduate water education institution in the world.

The first class of Rotary sponsored scholars, who began their studies in October 2012, successfully completed their first year of an 18-month Masters of Science degree program at UNESCO-IHE, a United Nations Institute in Delft, The Netherlands.  They are now embarking on a six-month thesis period. After graduation in April 2014, the scholars’ expertise will be put to work improving water and sanitation conditions in their own communities with projects the scholars and sponsoring Rotary members will design and implement together in their respective countries of Argentina, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Ghana.

“Students finished a year of challenging class work and are beginning their 6-month research component on issues of water management,” said Michael McClain, professor at UNESCO-IHE.  “After completion of their thesis projects, students will be ready to enter into the broader water management area and focus on the more important issues of bringing people, water, and economic development together,” said Dr. Michael McClain.

“I will work at the National University as a lecturer and consultant, training future water professionals and contributing to public interests,” said Gonzalo Duró from Argentina, a student from the first Rotary/UNESCO-IHE class. “Based on the idea that the future generation is key to start a change in how humanity uses water in an increasingly challenging world, our plan is to build a traveling educational program to educate kids on water care.”

Through this unique partnership, Rotary is providing more than funds for scholarships.  Rotary clubs and Rotary members are mentoring students both in their home country as well as during their stay at UNESCO-IHE in The Netherlands. These relationships and networks will enable the students to effectively implement their skills upon return to their home country. 

“These highly motivated individuals are fully committed to raising the standards of water sanitation in their home country,” said Henk Jaap Kloosterman, member of the Rotary Club of Voorburg-Vliet, The Netherlands.  “With their dedication and with the support of the local and sponsoring Rotary clubs - they will deliver tangible results and save lives.”

According to a joint report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, about 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to improved sanitation facilities. About 884 million obtain water for drinking, cooking, and washing from unprotected sources. Waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and dysentery, claim nearly two million lives a year, most of them children under age five. The continuous task of fetching water keeps millions of people, especially women and girls, from going to school and holding productive jobs. Improved water and sanitation is key to reversing this trend.

"I am proud of the partnership between Rotary International and UNESCO-IHE in developing the capacities of young professionals in countries and regions where they are needed the most,” said András Szöllösi-Nagy, Rector of UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. “Safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation are vital factors in human health and quality of life. But much knowledge and capacities are needed to build strong local and regional education and research environments and adequate institutions to enable sustainable change.”

“In Uganda, a number of water supply systems have collapsed due to poor design, poor operation and maintenance structure,” said Hilary Muhereza, one of the 16 scholars to start in October who plans to tackle the issue in his home country of Uganda. “There is a lack of technical expertise especially in flood risk management to mitigate the problem. Uganda lacks professionals in the water industry to work with new technologies and tools such as web based information and knowledge networks.”

The Rotary Scholarships for Water and Sanitation Professionals was established in 2011 to address the world’s water and sanitation crisis and promote long-term productive relationships between Rotary members and highly skilled water and sanitation professionals in their communities. Through this strategic partnership, The Rotary Foundation – the charitable arm of Rotary International – provides grants to Rotary clubs and districts to select and sponsor students each year for scholarships to any of three 18-month Master of Science degree programs at UNESCO-IHE including: MSc in Urban Water and Sanitation, MSc in Water Management, MSc in Water Science and Engineering.

About the students

First class: The UNESCO-IHE students selected for a 2012-2013 Rotary Scholarship include: Temesgen Adamu (Ethiopia), Godfrey Peterson Baguma (Uganda), Kenechukwu Okoli (Nigeria), Bernice Asamoah (Ghana), and Gonzalo Duró (Argentina).

Second class: Sixteen UNESCO-IHE students selected for a 2013-2014 Rotary Scholarship: Hector Nava Oritz (Mexico), Badruz Zaman (Indonesia), Emmanuel Umolu (Nigeria), Fidel Vargas-Albornoz (Bolivia), Saheed Yinusa (Nigeria), Fatai Adelani (Nigeria), Adeniyi Adebiyi (Nigeria), Bhekisisa Mkhonta (Swaziland), Bongani Bhembe (Swaziland), Hilary Muhereza (Uganda), Anthony Akpan (Nigeria), Mohamedelfatih Eljalabi (Sudan), Ruchira Jayathilaka (Sri Lanka), Juma Yahaya (Tanzania), Mark Johnson (Liberia) and Sachin Tiwale (India).

About UNESCO-IHE

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is the largest international postgraduate water education facility in the world and is based in Delft, the Netherlands. The Institute confers fully accredited MSc degrees, and PhD degrees in collaboration with partners in the Netherlands. Since 1957 the Institute has provided postgraduate education to more than 14,500 water professionals from over 160 countries, the vast majority from the developing world. A unique combination of applied, scientific and participatory research in water engineering is offered combined with natural sciences and management sciences. More information: www.unesco-ihe.org.

About Rotary

Rotary is a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary’s 1.2 million members hail from more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. 

Rotary members contribute their time, energy and passion to sustainable, long-term projects in the areas of peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy and economic and community development. For more information, visit Rotary. A promotional video includes interviews and footage of current scholars.  For broadcast quality footage and photos, go to Rotary’s Media Center.

News Release

For immediate release

Contact Bob Aitken, Rotary Down Under Executive Director - 0417 722 190; Ellisa Nolan, Rotary Down Under Marketing and Digital Manger - 0401-477-679

Volunteer leaders from around the globe to convene June 2014

Sydney (10 October 2013) – Sydney will host Rotary International’s 105^th annual convention 1-4 June 2014, which is expected to attract more than 18,000 Rotary club members from over 150 countries while injecting an estimated AUD 60.5 million into the local economy.

Often described as a “mini-United Nations” because of its global scope and cultural diversity, the always-colorful Rotary convention will transform the Sydney Olympic Park into a kaleidoscope of energy, color and excitement as Rotary brings together its global network of volunteer leaders – men and women from all walks of life dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges – to engage in a full agenda of plenary sessions, workshops and a lineup of world class keynote speakers.

“Sydney is a vibrant international hub as well as a gateway between East and West,” said 2013-14 Rotary International President Ron D. Burton.  “It is the perfect venue for our convention as we celebrate and share the many ways our members have found to use the resources of Rotary to improve the lives of families worldwide.”

Organized by Rotary International in conjunction with the Sydney Host Organizing Committee of local Rotary leaders, with significant support from the New South Wales Government, the convention also will provide registrants with ample opportunities to savor Sydney’s myriad of attractions, including an Australian Rules football match, a restaurant night and fireworks display, an authentic Aussie BBQ, and a performance of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell said Rotary clubs and volunteers around the world provide outstanding service to the community and Sydney is proud to host the 2014 Rotary International Convention.

"Sydney is the major events capital of the Asia Pacific and this event provides us with another fantastic opportunity to showcase our harbour city to the thousands of Rotary delegates travelling here from around the world.

"This event will inject an estimated $60.5 million into the NSW economy, which is great news for local businesses and workers in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

“I encourage all of the Rotary delegates attending next year’s conference to take the opportunity to explore Sydney and regional NSW during their visit.”

While the convention is not open to the general public, Sydneysiders are encouraged to join Rotary members in a major book drive in support of Australian literacy programs and to visit a special photographic exhibit in the city’s centre highlighting Rotary’s many humanitarian efforts worldwide.

A major portion of the convention will be devoted to Rotary’s top priority, the global eradication of the crippling disease polio, and many area residents will remember seeing the exterior of the iconic Sydney Opera House illuminated with Rotary’s End Polio Now message in February 2009. The convention will include an update on Rotary’s funding campaign with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in which the latter will match 2 for 1 every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication up to AUD 38 million (USD 35 million) per year through 2018.

Rotary launched its polio eradication program in 1985, and in 1988 helped launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Rotary members have since contributed more than AUD 1.3 billion (USD 1.2 billion) and countless volunteer hours to protect more than two billion children in 122 countries from polio. Australia’s 32,243 Rotary members have donated AUD 21.2 million (USD 19.5 million) toward ending polio.  The Government of Australia has committed AUD 73.3 million (USD 67.35 million) through 2014, and in late May this year announced a new commitment of AUD 80 million (USD 73.4 million) from 2015-2018. Great progress has been made, as the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99 percent, from 350,000 new cases a year to only 223 for all of 2012.

About Rotary

Rotary is a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary’s 1.2 million members hail from more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.

Registration: www.riconvention.org

Rotary: www.rotary.org

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보도 자료

For immediate release

Contact: 연락 담당자: 이은옥, 010-8299-2159 (agora108@hotmail.com)

Howard Chang (U.S.A), 847-866-3408 (howard.chang@rotary.org)

미국, 일리노이, 에반스톤 (2013년 8월 21일) - 

국제적 명성을 얻고 있는 홍콩 영화배우 견자단 (Donnie Yen)이 로타리의 소아마비 퇴치 인식 확대를 위한 캠페인, “요만큼 남았습니다”에 참여, 세계적인 유명인들과 나란히 이름을 올렸다.

영화 “영웅” “상하이 나이츠”으로 잘 알려진 견자단의 동참으로, 로타리의 “요만큼” 캠페인은 새로운 탄력을 받을 것으로 기대된다. 이 광고에서 싸이는 엄지와 검지로 요만큼 남았다는 제스츄어를 취하였으며, 이에 맞추어 소아마비 퇴치가 “이제 요만큼 남았습니다”라는 자막이 나간다.       

견자단은 “로타리 홍보대사를 결정한 것은 어린아이들의 목숨을 빼앗거나 평생 지체장애를 겪게하는 무서운 소아마비를 로타리가 박멸에 나섰기 때문입니다.”라고 밝혔다. 그는 또 “1980년대 중반에 시작된 국제로타리의 전세계 소아마비 박멸 노력으로 이 병이 지구상에서 사라지는게 이제 얼마남지 않았다는 사실도 알게 됐다.”고 덧붙였다.

견자단의 모델 출연은 지난 6월, 리스본 국제대회에서 로타리와 빌 & 멜린다 게이츠 재단이 소아마비 퇴치를 위한 파트너십의 확대를 발표한 것과 맞물려 로타리안들에게는 매우 반가운 소식으로 받아들여지고 있다. 게이츠 재단은 리스본 국제대회에서 공개된 제프 레이크스 CEO의 동영상 메시지를 통해, 오는 2018년까지 매년 로타리가 소아마비 퇴치를 위해 사용하는 기금(최고 3,500만 달러까지)에 대해 1달러 당 2달러를 상응할 것이라 밝힌 바 있다. 이는 소아마비 퇴치에 필요한 기금 55억 달러를 조성하는  데 큰 힘을 보태게 된다.

소아마비 퇴치 인식 확대를 위한 “요만큼” 캠페인에는 빌 게이츠를 비롯하여, 노벨 평화상 수상자인 남아공의 데스몬드 투투 주교, 세계적인 액션 스타 재키 찬(성룡), 복싱 영웅 매니 파퀴아오, 한국이 낳은 세계적 팝 스타 싸이, 골프 황제 잭 니콜라우스 등이 모델로 나섰다. 이 밖에도 환경운동가이자 동물학자인 제인 구달 박사, 세계적인 바이올리니스트 이작 펄만, 그래미상 수상자들인 A.R. 라만, 앤젤리크 키드조, 지기 말리, 그리고 요르단의 누어 왕비 등이 모델로 출연한 바 있다.        

방송용 공익 광고에는 세계적인 유명인사들과 일반인들이 고루 출연하여 “우리는 새로운 역사 만들기에 요만큼 가까이 왔습니다. 지구 상에서 소아마비를 완전히 퇴치하는 데 요만큼 가까이 왔습니다. 우리는 당신의 도움이 필요합니다.”라고 말한다.

소아마비 퇴치는 지난 20년 이상 로타리의 최우선 국제사업이다. 세계적인 인도주의 단체인 국제로타리는 세계보건기구, 미국 질병통제예방센터, 유니세프와 함께 소아마비 퇴치를 위한 글로벌 이니셔티브(GPEI)를 이끌어 왔다.  

지금까지 로타리클럽 회원들은 소아마비 퇴치를 위해 12억 달러가 넘은 기금을 기부했으며, 수많은 자원봉사자들이 전세계 면역 활동에 참여해 왔다. 이에 힘입어 지난 20년 동안 소아마비 퇴치에 엄청난 성과가 있었다. 소아마비 발병건수는1988년 한 해 동안 35만 건을 기록했으나, 2012년에는 불과 222건을 기록했을 뿐이다. 그동안 122개국 20억 명의 어린이들에게 예방 접종이 이루어졌으며, 500만 명의 어린이들이 불구의 위험에서, 25만 명의 어린이들이 영아 사망의 위험에서 벗어났다.       

로타리소개 

로타리는 전세계 200여 국가 및 자치령에 소재한 3만 4,000개 클럽으로 구성된 글로벌 인도주의 단체이다. 120만 명에 달하는 로타리 회원들은 인도주의 봉사를 통해 세상을 더 나은 곳으로 만들어 가려는 비즈니스, 전문직, 지역사회의 남녀 지도자들이다. 첫 번째 로타리클럽은 1905년 미국, 시카고에서 창립되었다. 미디어 센터를 방문하면 로타리 활동을 담은 동영상과 사진들을 다운로드 할 수 있다.

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