OTIN: The end of polio shows that you can translate your beliefs into action

Evangelism is not easy, but someone has to do it. As the good book says, faith is the substance of the things hoped for, the evidence of the unseen things and that is why our preachers occupy the highest hills, the gates of the city or the TV channels enjoyed by viewers and remind the congregation that God is watching.

The same goes for the eradication of polio and the evangelical role of Rotary to blackmail the world on the same hymn sheet. The largest funds come from countries that have not seen polio for decades, and sustained global advocacy is needed to maintain faith and a continued commitment to eliminating the disease from the surface of the globe.

October 24 is World Polio Day when we celebrate the birthday of Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine, and reaffirm our commitment to ending polio. Rotary clubs around the world are finding creative ways to demonstrate this, including organizing fundraisers, organizing public outreach events, and organizing seminars on progress in the fight against the disease.

Since 1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was created, a total of $ 16 billion has been raised and Rotary's contribution has surpassed $ 1.8 billion. Rotarians have pledged to raise at least $ 50 million each year in the latest effort, while the world is focused on the last three endemic countries, namely Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. .

As I said, evangelism is not easy, so let's take a look at history to understand how it all started. In the 1970s, a Rotarian from the Philippines was convinced that it was possible to eradicate polio on the basis of scientific data and the successful eradication of Small Pox, the first disease to have been eradicated from human history.

This Rotarian went to his Rotary club and told them he was going to end the polio and asked them if they would join him on his journey.

The club agreed and after a while, they approached the other clubs in the Philippines and announced their intention to eradicate polio and asked them if they would join them in this initiative.

Later, Rotarians in the Philippines informed Rotarians in Haiti, Bolivia, Morocco, Sierra Leone and Cambodia that they would eradicate polio.

It was then that the six countries informed Rotary International that they were going to end polio and asked the world association of Rotary clubs if they were willing to accompany them in this effort, to which they responded in the affirmative. In 1985, Rotary International named the first polio committee and pledged $ 120 million that year to fund this initiative.

Rotary International then told the United Nations, CDC and WHO that they would be tackling polio and asked the World Development Agency if they would join them in carrying out this task. . The GPEI was born.

It all began with the firm belief that this was possible and that this vision continues to guide us as we enter the final leg of the journey. It's easy to be part of this story and anyone can make a donation of any size to GPEI's efforts by visiting www.endpolionow.org and clicking on "donate".