For many years Rotary Clubs across the world have been working with the World Health Organisation, the United Nations, and more recently the Bill Gates Foundation in a campaign to eradicate polio. Rotary Clubs have participated by raising money and by members working in those countries where polio is still endemic to vaccinate children against the ravages that polio can cause. Our Rotary Club is proud that we have contributed to the campaign both with money raised through our local events but also by members of the club, at their own expense, taking part in the vaccination programmes in Africa.
In October 2010 we will be joining other Rotary Clubs in Great Britain and Ireland to raise money and heighten awareness of the continuing risk of polio in particular in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. To that end we have invited 11 Primary and Junior and Infant Schools in our area to take part by involving their children in planting purple crocus in the schools grounds. The purple crocus is representative of the purple dye which is put on a finger of every child after they have been vaccinated. All the invited schools have accepted the challenge 3000 crocus bulbs were delivered to the schools in the past week. In addition each school has been given access to the RIBI educational pack appropriate to the age of the pupils so they may tell the children about the disease and its terrible effects.