End Polio Now - Crocus Planting at Rodborough School

To mark World Polio Day on 24th October,  a group of Woolsack Rotarians and school volunteers  planted purple crocuses (under the theme "Purple for Polio") at Rodborough School.

Since 1985, Rotary’s key humanitarian priority has been to rid the world of polio.
Rotary spearheaded the campaign at a time when there were over 1,000 polio cases a day in 125 countries, paralysing and even killing children.
Today, the number of cases is down by 99.9%.
Over the last 30 years, Rotary has donated US$2 billion to the eradication effort and has protected over 2.5 billion children from the disease through vaccination programmes.
Inspired in part by Rotary’s volunteer commitment and fundraising success, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched in 1988.
This remarkable partnership which includes Rotary, World Health Organization, UNICEF, the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention and, more recently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Despite there only being a handful of cases left in the world, continued campaigning, health worker training and vaccination programmes are essential to stop the disease returning and ensuring the world is certified polio-free.