Our next DG, Richard Vergette, from Isle of Axholme Rotary, is currently preparing to cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats. May 14th is the day! He intends to complete his journey on May 27th. Richard is raising money in aid of End Polio Now – part of the Rotary Foundation. Thanks to the work of the Rotary Foundation together with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Polio has been eliminated in all but two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan. Many of you know that Richard’s father was a Polio survivor from the pandemic of 1947 and he will be cycling in his honour.
Contribute to Richard’s epic ride by supporting his cause easily online with Just Giving.
Today, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Africa region, has officially certified free from wild poliovirus, signifying a major milestone in the battle to eradicate the disease worldwide.
This certification has come four years after Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in Africa, recorded its final case of wild polio and is an incredible public health achievement for Rotary members, the African region, and Rotary’s partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
This progress is the result of a decades-long effort across the 47 countries which make up the WHO’s African region and now means that five of the six WHO regions, which represent 90% of the world’s population, will be free of polio.
Efforts to get to this momentous stage have involved millions of health workers traveling by foot, boat, bike and bus to reach children, innovative strategies to vaccinate those living among conflict and insecurity, and a huge disease surveillance network to test cases of paralysis and check sewage for the virus.
In 1996, Rotary and our partners joined with Nelson Mandela to jumpstart Africa’s commitment to polio eradication. Since then, 9 billion doses of oral polio vaccine have been provided, averting an estimated 1.8 million cases of wild poliovirus on the continent.
Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio.
By raising funds for polio eradication, advocating with world governments and national and local leaders, and raising awareness, Rotarians have contributed nearly US $890 million to conquer polio in the region.
Despite this incredible public health milestone, the job to fully rid the world of polio goes on, as the virus continues to circulate in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Vaccination programmes must continue to reach every last child and strengthen routine immunisation to keep immunity levels high, so the virus does not return to Africa.
Rotary members across Great Britain and Ireland remain committed to making the final, challenging steps towards a polio free world a reality.
Events will be taking place across the world on 24th October, to mark annual World Polio Day.
Our impact starts with you.
You can help make our pledge to rid the world of polio reality by donating to our End Polio Now campaign. Every donation to Rotary will be trebled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so every £1 will become £3.
You can also get involved with our Purple4Polio activities; fun fundraising ideas to bring your community together while protecting children around the world.
If you already have an event planned in the to celebrate World Polio Day, or the certification of a polio-free Africa region, let us know! Please register your events using this online form so they can be added them to our event map.
Peter Moralee welcomed over 100 fellow Rotarians to the annual Foundation Seminar at the Derbyshire Hotel on the 10th Nov.
The Seminar updates club representatives on the progress of the only Rotary International charity – the Rotary Foundation.
Thanks were expressed to the over 80% of District Clubs who actively support their charity in addition to their many standalone club projects. Updates were given on the End Polio mission, making a grant application, and the creative process behind the Rotary club of Doncaster St Leger’s End Polio pack for primary schools. Peace fellow Yuko Maeno updated on her progress by video from Japan, – complete with her recently born baby! A personal appearance by current peace fellow Mike Niemiec on his military experience and induction into the Rotary Peace Program at the University of Bradford provided a fascinating insight into the benefits these scholarships deliver to the world.
Your District Foundation Committee would like to invite all District 1220 Rotarians to attend the 2014 Annual Foundation Seminar.
We have just completed our first year working under ‘The Foundation New Grants Model’ and we would like to update Clubs via Presentations of two successful Global Grant applications. The Club representatives themselves, will be giving the presentation of their Projects and the grants process ‘worts n all’ and what we have all learned, valuable knowledge. It promises to be a good night!
In addition, the District Foundation Grant Sub Committee Chairman John Moffatt will be giving an update on Grants Application this year. Also we will be introducing Dave Cook, our proposed first District Global Scholar, Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bakewell and wishes to study at Cape Town University, South Africa. He is a truly remarkable young man!
Don’t forget Link Evening with the cut-off date for bookings being 28 February.
We have 2 very high quality speakers with a different slant on Foundation. Firstly, Rob Avery-Phipps is unique in being our very first (but perhaps not last) outgoing scholar to China. He added to the academic year with many exploits before and after so don’t miss his story. As if that were not enough we have, for the very first time ever a worldwide Alumni Award receiver in Harminder Dua. He will tell us of how Rotary added to his life and the work he has gone on to do since.
Contact your club Foundation chair or secretary for booking form, or if you still have problems please contact Mick White District Foundation Chair directly.
The date and venue of this very popular annual event has been changed from the one previously circulated to Wednesday 13 March 2013 at Mansfield Civic Centre to accommodate the expected numbers.
It promises to be a memorable evening being the very last of its type due to the forthcoming changes in Foundation programmes. After an excellent meal Colin Slater from the BBC will be interviewing our last four Ambassadorial Scholars from Japan, Switzerland and the USA and a Peace Scholar from Fiji plus other alumni.
I have negotiated a good deal with the main course of roast lamb rump alone usually being £17.50 but our all inclusive cost is just £20 per head!
On this evening we are celebrating our very active involvement with the Rotary Foundations Ambassadorial Scholarship and Group Study Exchange programme over many years and ask clubs to consider making it their club meeting for the week and bring partners to the celebration. All District 1220 Foundation Alumni will receive an invitation too.
Rotary District 1220 Foundation Alumni Facebook Group is open to all Rotarians and others who have participated in the District’s Group Study Exchanges, or have been outgoing Ambassadorial Scholars or Peace Scholars.
It’s intended to help us keep in touch with our alumni – past GSE teams (including team leaders) and Ambassadorial scholars and if to help keep them up to date with current news which may be of interest such as posts from RI, RIBI,RI Foundation Alumni and the End Polio Now campaign.
If you have a facebook account, use the link above and ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ the page.
