Rotary Walk with Us to End Polio
Following a very successful event in 2020 Rotarians, friends and the community are encouraged once again to take action from October 1st to 31st to raise awareness, funds, and support to end poliomyelitis, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens the children of the world today. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary worldwide has helped to reduce polio cases from an average of 1000 cases per day in 1987 to a total of only 140 cases in 2020, a 99.9% reduction.
The Rotary Walk With Us campaign throughout October is a fun way to raise awareness and funds to End Polio Now.
Using Rotary’s friendly website (www.rotarywalkwithus.org), you can register to walk and set distance and fundraising goals. Alternatively, you can donate to someone who is walking. For the walkers the total distance you have set for the month is accumulated over the entire month of October. So you can walk when, where and with whom you want in a COVID-safe way. Each walk is logged on the website along with all donations. It’s easy.
And don't forget: The Polio Movie Event is a very popular way for clubs to raise funds for End Polio Now. It’s also a great opportunity for people in our communities to have some fun together. With lockdowns in so many parts of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, the pent-up demand for a fun event is stronger than ever. 2nd December 2021
It is crucial to eliminate polio from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two countries where it remains endemic. We must also keep all other countries polio-free. If eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyse as many as 200,000 children each year.
Rotary and its partners are committed to eliminating poliomyelitis completely from the world. Smallpox is the only other disease ever completely eradicated. Funds are still needed to continue immunisation and surveillance efforts.
Donate today and be a part of the countdown to history. With your help we can end polio for good.