Page 7 - Rotary Matters - December

Teaspoon of change for a peaceful and polio-free world

On the 7th of November 2022, thanks to the RC Salisbury, a celebration dinner was held to say It thank
you to members and Friends of Rotary Club of Salisbury and their special guest speakers d’Arcy Lunn,
former D9520 Peace Fellow and the Founder of Teaspoons of Change for Peace as well as an awareness
raiser for polio eradication across Rotary in Canada and many other countries; and Dr Shagufta Perveen
from The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, experienced in working with polio vaccinators across
Pakistan. Pakistan is the last country in the world with the wild Polio virus.

A Teaspoon for Peace is a small but significant action contributing to a culture of positive peace.
At the RC Salisbury, polio eradication is one of its top priorities in the 2022-23 Rotary Year. The Club
rganised this dinner to raise funds for the Polio Eradication Program through Rotary Foundation.

It was a night that reminded us all that there is no cure for polio; it can only be prevented by
immunisation. The District Governor Paul Thomas AM and Rotary Foundation Chair Marie-louise Lees
pointed out that Rotary and its partners are committed to eliminating poliomyelitis completely from the
world. Participation of Rotary International in Polio eradication is a success story. The world has witnessed
that more than 18 million people are able to walk today who would
otherwise have been paralysed, since 1988, when the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative was launched. Until polio is totally eradicated,
every child is at risk of this highly infectious, potentially
life-threatening and paralysing disease.

Success in eradicating polio will mean that no child will have to
experience the devastating effects of the disease again. Failure to
eradicate polio could cause poliovirus to reappear around the world
with up to 200,000 new cases expected every year within 10 years.
We are so close to eradicating the virus, but we need to finish the job
now, once and for all.

Thanks to Rick Henke Foundation Director, RC Salisbury,
Rotarians at Rotary Club of Salisbury and sponsors for
bringing people together to collect vital funds to support
vulnerable children around the world.

Joseph Masika D9510 Rotary Foundation

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